ALICE IN WONDERLAND — A WONDERLAND OF COLOUR, CHAOS AND THEATRE MAGIC
Janice Honeyman’s Pantomime | Joburg Theatre
Oh, what a wonderful world it is when theatre allows us to be children again!
There is something rather special about pantomime. It is theatrical mischief in its most beautiful form. It is a celebration of imagination, a feast of colour, an invitation to laughter and an opportunity to temporarily abandon the seriousness of everyday life. It is theatre that does not apologise for being extravagant, eccentric, ridiculous or delightfully over the top. And when Janice Honeyman is at the helm, you know you are in very capable hands.
I was at the Joburg Theatre for the opening of Janice Honeyman’s Alice in Wonderland, and ladies and gentlemen, this is the Panto! What an absolute spectacle. Bright colours, infectious enthusiasm, beautiful singing, energetic choreography, eccentric characters, hilarious South African references and an abundance of theatrical imagination. It is everything a pantomime should be and then some.
Written and directed by the legendary Janice Honeyman, this production takes Lewis Carroll’s beloved literary imagination and transforms it into a distinctly South African theatrical experience. Wonderland becomes a playground for creativity, where absolutely anything can happen, where logic takes a holiday and where the audience is invited to surrender to the madness.
And surrender we do!
THE MAGIC OF PANTOMIME: WHEN EVERYONE IS INVITED TO PLAY
Pantomime occupies a rather interesting place in the theatrical landscape. It is a tradition that embraces spectacle, audience participation, comedy, music, exaggerated characters and a wonderful willingness to break the fourth wall. It does not necessarily demand that everything make sense. In fact, the less sense it makes, the more entertaining it can become!
But beneath the silliness lies a remarkable theatrical discipline. It takes an enormous amount of coordination, timing, creativity and performance energy to make something this extravagant appear effortless.
Alice follows the White Rabbit into Wonderland, embarking on an extraordinary adventure populated by peculiar characters, strange encounters and increasingly ridiculous situations. The journey is divided into two acts, taking us from the riverbank and Lewis Carroll’s study, down the rabbit hole and into the Mushroom Forest, before introducing us to the Mad Hatter’s tea party and the Queen’s royal madness.
The second act takes the spectacle even further, with the troublesome Tweedles, the Queen’s Kitsch Chamber, the royal kitchen, the courtroom and the Battle of the Jabberwock. Eventually, we find ourselves back up the rabbit hole, ready for the singalong and a glorious finale.
It is an adventure that moves at an exhilarating pace. There is always something happening, something to look at, someone to laugh at and another surprise waiting around the corner.
THE CAST: A WONDERLAND OF PERSONALITIES
A production of this magnitude needs performers who understand that pantomime requires something rather extraordinary. You cannot simply perform a character; you must inhabit the madness, embrace the exaggeration and give the audience a reason to fall in love with the world you have created.
This cast understands the assignment.
Ashley Scott takes on the central role of Alice, our curious traveller through this extraordinary universe. She provides the audience with an anchor amid the chaos, carrying us through the adventure and allowing us to experience Wonderland through her eyes.
Russel Savadier plays Lewis Carroll, guiding the narrative and introducing us to the world of his imagination. It is a wonderful theatrical device to have the author himself become part of the adventure.
And then there is Desmond Dube!
DESMOND DUBE: DAME FANNY FLOPPALOT
Oh, Desmond Dube! What would a Janice Honeyman pantomime be without a Dame?
As Dame Fanny Floppalot, Dube is an absolute delight. The extravagant dresses, colourful costumes, dramatic make-up, flamboyant personality and wonderfully eccentric presentation are essential ingredients of the pantomime experience.
There is something particularly wonderful about watching a performer completely surrender to the ridiculousness of a character. Dube understands the assignment. He embraces the theatrical freedom of the Dame, giving us a character who is colourful, outrageous, humorous and impossible to ignore.
The Dame is one of pantomime’s most cherished traditions. It is a role that allows performers to play with gender presentation, exaggeration, physical comedy and audience expectations. It is deliberately larger than life, and Dube makes the most of every opportunity.
One particularly warm and amusing moment comes when he incorporates a Clientele Life endorsement into the performance. It is South African popular culture finding its way into Wonderland, and the result is wonderfully funny. These are the little moments that make local pantomime so enjoyable. We recognise the references, understand the joke and share in the collective laughter.
Dube is essential. Long may the Dame reign!
Brendan Van Rhyn brings the Queen of Hearts to life, giving us another wonderfully theatrical personality to contend with. The Queen is the embodiment of royal excess, authority and unreasonable demands. In Wonderland, apparently, the simplest disagreement can become a matter of national importance!
Bongi Archi as the White Rabbit is another important presence, setting the adventure in motion. Danny Meaker plays Jack of Hearts, while Lesedi Rich brings the Caterpillar into the mix.
Siya Makakane is the Cheshire Cat, a character whose mysterious and mischievous nature is perfectly suited to the peculiarities of Wonderland.
Charlie Bouguenon takes on the Mad Hatter, one of Carroll’s most recognisable creations. His eccentric world is an invitation to theatrical absurdity, and what would Wonderland be without an absolutely ridiculous tea party?
Noluthando Mathebula plays the Dormouse, while Ntshikeng Matooane appears as the March Hare.
And then we have the Tweedles! Kiruna-Lind Devar as Tweedledum, Zim Mphefu as Tweedledee, Bo Molefe as Tweedleduh and Raymond Skinner as Tweedledof. A wonderful collection of characters adding another layer of madness to this already wonderfully peculiar universe.
Everyone deserves recognition. The ensemble contributes enormously to the production’s energy, filling the stage with movement, personality and enthusiasm. There is no shortage of commitment here. Every performer appears to understand that pantomime is a collective exercise in generosity.
THE VISUAL SPECTACLE: SETS, COSTUMES AND IMAGINATION
If there is one thing that immediately announces itself in this production, it is the visual spectacle.
The sets are a burst of imagination. Wonderland is not simply a backdrop against which actors perform; it is an entire theatrical universe. Strange doors, peculiar spaces, oversized furniture and unexpected objects transform the stage into a world where the impossible becomes perfectly ordinary.
The production plays wonderfully with scale. We encounter enormous tables and enormous chairs, only to be transported into spaces where everything becomes miniature. Alice’s encounters with the mysterious drinks and mushrooms, her shrinking and extraordinary growth, are brought into the theatrical experience through imaginative visual storytelling.
There is even muthi on the table! Alice drinks, changes size and finds herself navigating a world where proportions and expectations have completely abandoned reality.
These are precisely the kinds of theatrical moments that make live performance magical. We know we are watching theatre, but we allow ourselves to believe in the illusion. The imagination does the rest.
The sets are inventive, playful and full of surprises. Enos Ramoroko’s work as set designer and builder deserves particular appreciation. The production’s visual world requires considerable ingenuity, and the physical environment gives the performers an extraordinary playground.
The visual presentation is further elevated by the graphics and audiovisual elements. The graphics are incredible. They add another dimension to the storytelling, creating a constantly changing visual environment that complements the physical sets rather than competing with them.
The AV design and production design are important components of this experience, and the overall visual language is exceptionally effective.
COSTUMES: AN ABSOLUTE FEAST!
Mariska Meyer and the costume department deserve enormous praise.
Absolutely magnificent!
Pantomime is a celebration of exaggeration, and costumes are central to that celebration. These are not ordinary clothes. They are extensions of character, personality, fantasy and theatrical identity.
The colours are vibrant, the designs are extravagant and the visual personalities are wonderfully distinctive. Every character belongs to this peculiar universe, and the costumes help establish that identity before a performer even utters a word.
From the Dame’s flamboyant presentation to the eccentric inhabitants of Wonderland, there is an extraordinary amount of detail and imagination on display.
Costume design in a production like this requires more than making beautiful clothes. It requires an understanding of movement, character, visual storytelling and the demands of a fast-moving stage production. These costumes must work under theatrical lighting, accommodate choreography and communicate clearly to an audience.
Mariska Meyer and her team have delivered something truly special.
The costume department deserves its flowers. A standing ovation!
MUSIC, SOUND AND CHOREOGRAPHY: THE HEARTBEAT OF WONDERLAND
There is a tremendous amount of singing and music throughout this production. The energy is infectious, and the musical numbers provide much of the show’s momentum.
The band deserves particular recognition because these musicians hold the show together.
Live music is one of theatre’s greatest gifts. There is something immediate and exciting about watching musicians perform alongside actors and dancers. The music breathes with the production. It responds to the action, supports the storytelling and creates an atmosphere that recorded playback cannot quite replicate.
Dale Ray leads the musical department as Musical Director and first keyboard player, supported by Tshepo Tsotetsi as Assistant Musical Director.
The band comprises:
- Dale Ray — Musical Director and First Keyboard
- Tshepo Tsotetsi — Assistant Musical Director
- Saxola Ketshengane — Second Keyboard
- Pieter Steyn — Guitar
- Mthosisi Keith Marisheni — Drums
- Viwe Mkizwana — Bass
These musicians deserve to be celebrated. Their contribution is fundamental to the production’s rhythm, atmosphere and theatrical excitement.
The sound design by Akhona Bozo is another important achievement. Sound must be clear, balanced and powerful enough to support the music, dialogue and effects without overwhelming the performers. Here, the sound is excellent.
The lighting design by Johan Ferreira adds another layer of visual magic. Wonderland is a world of constant transformation, and lighting helps establish its different moods, spaces and theatrical surprises.
Then there is the choreography by Khaya Ndlovu Mpehle. The movement is energetic, colourful and wonderfully suited to the spirit of pantomime. The performers bring tremendous enthusiasm to the musical sequences, and the choreography helps sustain the production’s infectious momentum.
Every department is working towards the same objective: creating an immersive theatrical experience.
And it shows.
THE CREATIVE TEAM: EVERY DETAIL MATTERS
It is easy to applaud the actors because they are the faces we see on stage. But productions of this scale are built by people whose work often happens away from the spotlight.
The production team deserves recognition:
- Janice Honeyman — Writer and Director
- Andrew Timm — Production Designer
- Adino Trapani — Assistant Production
- Enos Ramoroko — Set Designer and Builder
- Akhona Bozo — Sound Designer
- Johan Ferreira — Lighting Designer
- Mariska Meyer — Costume Designer
- Khaya Ndlovu Mpehle — Choreographer
The production design, audiovisual presentation, scenery, costumes, lighting, sound, music and choreography all contribute to the final experience.
Theatre is collaboration. It is an extraordinary meeting of different disciplines, talents and imaginations. When every department understands the vision and executes its responsibilities with such enthusiasm, the audience gets to experience something wonderful.
And this production is a reminder that the magic we see on stage is the result of an enormous amount of work behind it.
JANICE HONEYMAN: THE QUEEN OF SOUTH AFRICAN PANTOMIME
There is a reason Janice Honeyman’s name has become synonymous with South African pantomime.
She understands the tradition, its conventions and, perhaps most importantly, its audience. She understands that pantomime must entertain children while giving adults something to enjoy as well. It must be silly without being careless, extravagant without losing its structure and familiar without becoming predictable.
Her Alice in Wonderland is a celebration of imagination and theatrical freedom.
What I particularly appreciate is the distinctly South African personality of the production. The popular-culture references, the local humour and the little recognisable moments make this Wonderland feel like our own.
It is not simply Lewis Carroll transported onto a South African stage. It is a conversation between a beloved international story and our own cultural identity.
That is the beauty of theatre. We can inherit stories from elsewhere, reinterpret them, make them our own and share them with new generations.
Janice Honeyman continues to protect and celebrate a theatrical tradition that deserves to remain an important part of our cultural calendar.
THE FINAL WORD: THIS IS THE PANTO!
I had a wonderful time at the Joburg Theatre.
The colours, the singing, the costumes, the sets, the graphics, the music, the humour and the sheer enthusiasm of the performers made this a thoroughly enjoyable theatrical experience.
There is something rather beautiful about a production that gives an audience permission to laugh without restraint. To embrace the ridiculous. To enjoy the unexpected. To celebrate imagination without constantly demanding an explanation.
Perhaps that is one of the most important things Alice in Wonderland reminds us: the world does not always have to make sense for us to find beauty in it.
Sometimes we simply need to follow the rabbit.
And what a rabbit hole this is!
Congratulations to Janice Honeyman, Desmond Dube, the entire cast, the musicians, the creative team, the technical departments and everyone who contributed to bringing this spectacular Wonderland to life.
The costumes deserve a standing ovation. The band deserves its flowers. The sets and graphics are magnificent. The performers are full of life. And the production as a whole is a wonderful celebration of theatrical imagination.
Take the children. Take your parents. Take your friends. Take someone who needs a little laughter in their life.
But whatever you do, do not miss this one.
This is the Panto!
Antakalipa — Consciousness of culture.
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Production: Janice Honeyman’s Alice in Wonderland
Written and Directed by: Janice Honeyman
Venue: Joburg Theatre — Mandela Theatre, Braamfontein, Johannesburg
Season: 28 October – 24 December 2026
Tickets: R170 – R390 (subject to performance and booking category)
Booking: www.joburgtheatre.com
Genre: Pantomime / Family Theatre
IPerformance dates and times vary. Consult Joburg Theatre’s booking schedule before attending. Parental guidance is advised, as the production includes some adult humour.
