The Mad Hatter's Tea Party
"'The Mad Hatter's Tea Party', based on the book 'Alice in Wonderland' by Lewis Carroll, has been excellently adapted by James Hyland who not only produced and directed the play but incidentally plays the fun, crazed, eccentric Mad Hatter better than Johnny Depp any day of the week... A Child Of The Jago have outdone themselves yet again on the fabulous costumes that sum up this production as entertaining, fun and full of laughs and a great play to go and see with the kids or simply on your own. I loved it."
Rating: ★★★★★
~Mark Carter, BRITISH THEATRE JOURNAL
"James Hyland is astonishingly good at what he does... Lewis Carroll’s surrealist novel Alice in Wonderland (1865) predates the development of Theatre of the Absurd in the late 1950s by almost a century but it’s a perfect marriage. Carroll’s plotless original is full of non-sequiturs, circular conversations, word play and puns all of which Hyland’s version runs with in this two hander, 60 minute play. He uses most of Carroll’s material, from The Mad Hatter chapter and from elsewhere in the novel and then takes it further. Hyland is a first class character actor and his Mad Hatter is, well, mad as a hatter – seriously and terrifyingly so as we richochet “from rabbit hole to heart of darkness”. Hyland snivels, shakes, shouts, pants, laughs, weeps, croons, acts with his tongue and does a wonderful job with a farting dormouse glove puppet. There is anger, confusion and fear in this volatile character. Joshua Jewkes is an excellent foil as the March Hare, white faced and wearing a splendid long eared headpiece (costumes by A Child of the Jago). He seems to be sensible, throwing cold logic back at Hyland and trying to reason with him although of course he’s actually pretty bonkers too. The comic and physical timing is exemplary. They are both seated slumbering at the table as the audience enters and, as the world’s most fidgety fidget, I marvel at how actors learn to hold that stillness for so long. Jewkes in particular is “asleep” for the best part of 20 minutes... This show is James Hyland’s latest dive into nineteenth century fiction from a new angle. I’ve seen him in Fagin’s Last Hour, A Christmas Carol as told by Jacob Marley – deceased, Jekyll and Hyde and Dracula. His imaginative writing is as impressive as his acting."
Rating: ★★★★
~Susan Elkin, SUSAN ELKIN REVIEWS
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"The Mad Hatters Tea Party is a thought-provoking, absurd delight... James Hyland’s adaptation of the classic story of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is an insanely creative bewitched piece of theatre. Taking inspiration from the Theatre of Absurd the one-hour, two-hander with James Hyland playing the Mad Hatter and Joshua Jewkes as the March Hare explored the main question of what’s real and what isn’t. The performances from both James Hyland and Joshua Jewkes were absolutely outstanding. The physicality mixed with the comical timing and depth they both brought to the characters were incredible to watch. The use of space with the table and the movement combined with the command the actors achieved of the audience’s attention was crazily superb. Particularly, James Hyland’s use of the mouse puppet on his left hand. Through the physicality, he brought to the Mouse and the voice changes (being deceived by Hyland covering his mouth when the Mouse was taking) Hyland created life in this fabulously constructed puppet. In addition, the costuming created by A Child of Jago was an absolute masterpiece and every thought and idea that went into it was a stroke of brilliance. The make-up of the mad hatter of the red lines and eye contact added to the weirdness of the script beautifully. To go further, the use of props of the hat to show different realities and of the tea was perfect... The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party makes for a great night in the theatre and will leave you slightly gaga and make you ask more questions about life and reality than you had before... The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party is a wonderful and cuckoo piece of the theatre with very creative and imaginative elements mingled in."
Rating: ★★★★
~Becki Douglass, A YOUNGISH PERSPECTIVE
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"In 2013, Dame Judi Dench and Ben Whishaw starred in John Logan’s Peter & Alice, a story about a fictional meeting between Alice Liddell Hargreaves, Alice in Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Llewelyn Davies, Peter in Peter Pan. Logan focused his play around the strange relationship that both middle-aged male authors had with young children. Verging on obsession from Lewis Carroll’s standpoint and cruel from JM Barrie Peter & Alice offered an interesting insight into these iconic children’s stories and their creators. The play also opened up something fresh in how audiences might appreciate or understand Alice, and with James Hyland’s The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, the writer/director proves there are still unique perspectives to be gained from the legendary tale. Walking into the White Bear Theatre to Chris Warner music playing Hyland, the Mad Hatter, and Joshua J. Jewkes, Mare Hare, are sitting upright in wooden chairs, asleep at either end of a large table. The Mad Hatter is the first to wake and proceeds to deliver a deliciously enticing monologue, that lays the scene. In Hyland’s adaptation, he views the predicament of the Hatter and Hare as more of a punishment that has been dealt them without fairness or consideration. As he thumps his way around the stage, it’s not hard to feel some sort of pity for him. Was he always the ‘Mad Hatter’? Or has the perpetual teatime without food or drink caused him to lose his mind and sense of self? As Hare wakes, the true extent of their position becomes apparent, and though the Hatter at times seems to goad or bully Hare, who seems to have accepted their fait, the Hatter still holds out hope that they can return to some normality. The Hatter exhausts himself in trying to find a reason for their confinement. This was an interesting insight, as most children love the idea of having a tea party that never ends, but Hyland’s Hatter exposes the painful nightmare that’s been dealt to them. One curious aspect of this production was the narrative between the Hatter and the Queen who punished them. On more than one occasion the way Hyland as the Hatter talks about the Queen and what transpired to lead to their punishment saw Hyland and Jewkes look over the audience as if in the direction of the Queen or to some other place. A place they’ve been banished from that was once home, a place they long to return but can't. I have never been a fan of Alice in Wonderland. It’s not the fantasy of the narrative that I don’t like; I just think that it was ever a children’s book that connected with me. Children's stories have to forge a connection with the reader, and in turn, the reader needs to understand the piece, which allows them to really explore their imagination. Growing up, I was not the greatest fan of Alice in Wonderland and the various productions that it spun. But with Hyland’s interpretation, he has seen great value in exploring the text in an open-minded way that’s allowed him to extract a clear, funny, and at times heartbreaking narrative. Though Hare might be resigned to their position, he’s the last to wake and the first to go back to sleep. There is one thing that he can’t get beyond, and that’s not having any food or drink. As a way to rain on Hare’s appeasement of their punishment, the Hatter makes him drink something. Hare’s reaction pulls him, even if just briefly, into the reality they face. There is an interesting chemistry between Hyland and Jewkes and their commitment to their respective characters. There isn't a moment that they let their guard down, and even though there are moments within the production that really play in knocking loudly on the theatrical fourth wall, they both retain a wonderful truth, innocence, and even likeability of their characters, which endear their struggle to the audience.​​ What Hyland has created is a play that offers audiences a slight pang of Waiting for Godot as the Hatter and Hare converse in a way that’s respectfully familiar to Vladimir and Estragon in the aforementioned play. It’s within this relationship that we really get to appreciate not only the predicament that Hatter and Hare are in but the pain that it’s caused and the life that has been stopped. As the play comes to an end, the Hatter is aware they’re going to reset, and for the audience, this is a sombre goodbye. The Hatter will awaken at teatime and will, once again, try to figure a way out of this repetition."
Rating: ★★★★
~Niger Asije, THE NEW CURRENT
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"WEIRD, WONDERFUL... Having watched the Brother Wolf adaptation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde earlier in the summer, I was thrilled to be invited to The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party at the White Bear Theatre in Kennington. From the moment I entered the intimate and cosy theatre space, I knew I was in for a unique and memorable interpretation of Lewis Carroll’s classic tale and its iconic characters. The play begins with the Mad Hatter being jolted awake by an alarm. It’s 6 o’clock, and we quickly learn that it has been this time for what feels like an eternity. Both the Mad Hatter, portrayed by the exceptionally talented James Hyland, and the March Hare, brought to life by Joshua J. Jewkes, are trapped in an endless loop where every day is marked by a tea party far removed from the whimsical gatherings depicted in the original story. In this adaptation, the bread is mouldy, the cups are stained, and the door mouse is no longer the lively participant he once was. As the play unfolds the characters explore deeper, more complex themes - such as loneliness, madness, death, and memory loss. Despite the bleakness that surrounds them, the Mad Hatter remains desperate to keep the party going, clinging to a rose-tinted view of their grim reality. His insistence that the door mouse is still alive – demonstrated through numerous fart jokes – highlights his determination to maintain a facade of joy, which contrasts starkly with the dark, decaying world they inhabit and from which they cannot escape. James Hyland once again demonstrates his remarkable range as an actor. His ability to engage the audience, combined with his exceptional puppetry skills in animating the door mouse, made this two-person performance an unforgettable experience. His portrayal of the Hatter’s descent into madness was both captivating and haunting, leaving a lasting impression long after the play had ended. Joshua J. Jewkes also delivered a strong performance as the March Hare, complementing Hyland’s energy and bringing his own nuances to the role. The pair complemented each other well, with the March Hare attempting to be the voice of reason amidst the Mad Hatter’s chaos... The visual and creative elements of the production were particularly impressive, with the costumes especially being wonderfully designed. The Mad Hatter donned a red-checkered, pyjama-like suit and the March Hare was clad in a brown waistcoat, boots and dark-brown fur ears. Both outfits perfectly captured the eccentricity and decay of the characters’ world. The puppetry was another highlight, adding depth and creativity to the performance... The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party is a thought-provoking and visually striking adaptation of a beloved classic. While the narrative may be challenging at times, the performances and creative elements make it a show worth seeing."
~Estelle Luck, PINK PRINCE THEATRE
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"The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, directed by James Hyland at the White Bear Theatre, is a theatrical journey into the depths of absurdity, where the boundaries between fiction and reality blur into chaotic eccentricity. This adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s ironically timeless classic by Brother Wolf doesn’t just take you down the rabbit hole – it plunges you into the very heart of madness itself. The production is a riotous celebration of Carroll’s surreal world, where logic is upended and the familiar becomes strange and unsettling. As the Hatter and the Hare engage in their perpetual debate, the play explores themes of sanity, grief and the fragile line that separates reality from fantasy. James Hyland’s Hatter is “much of a muchness”, an excessive, loud and eccentric caricature – a parody of his former self as the clock repeatedly repeats its ricochet on the hour. It is unclear whether his madness stems from his grief, mulling over the idea that “it is far better to embrace the madness than live in a world where the dead don’t dance”. Or whether it stems from loneliness, adopting a puppet of a dormouse as a friend, desperate not to let the March Hare (Joshua Jewkes) leave his 6 o’clock loop. The Hatter ties the Hare in linguistic loops, trapping him in a wonderland, which he ultimately rejects but can’t seem to leave. In this way, the Hatter’s gravitational orbit of madness draws in surrounding victims, including the audience, sucked into a whirlpool of consistent inconsistencies. A Child of the Jago’s fashion pieces are inspired by “characters, archetypes, criminals and rebels of society. The battles they fought, the rules they broke, the things they stole”. You can see this act of defiance most obviously throughout their costumes developed for the play. An eclectic mix of mismatched colours and prints decorate the Hatter, an ardent breaker of the rules of reality. His checkered shirt and matching bottoms are reminiscent of Sir John Tenniel’s 1865 wood engraving “The Mad Tea Party”, which became the cartoon most readily associated with Carroll’s original work. Yet, its collar, over-the-top cravat and soft pyjama-like material add an element of vulnerability to this man who is clearly out of touch with himself and worldly happenings. Jewkes, in a role slightly more driven by reality and practicality as Hare, is suited and booted in an earthy brown waistcoat and boots; a testament to the Victorian era fashion, which surrounded Carroll as well as the company’s bespoke tailored and contemporary clothing. However, the large (dor)mousey brown ears, which sit atop his head, remind the audience that he’s just as sane as the Hatter himself. As the curtain falls on The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, it becomes clear that this production is more than just a retelling of a beloved story – it’s an immersive experience that leaves its mark on the psyche. Hyland’s adaptation is a character study in the fine art of losing one’s mind, exploring madness, loneliness and the refusal to conform to reality, offering a poignant commentary on the human condition, suggesting that perhaps there is a method to the Hatter’s madness after all. Madness might indeed be the only sane response to an insane world. Be warned, you may just leave the theatre more unhinged than when you arrived."
~Olivia Gardener, THE UPCOMING
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"Another dark production by Brother Wolf, The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party is an absurdist take on the beloved characters from Lewis Carroll’s world of madness... With a simple set of a long table set for a derelict tea party, with stained cups and mouldy bread, the Hatter and March Hare are snoozing in their seats as the audience takes their seats. The characters are as unkempt as the table setting, looking to have been stuck in this space for far longer than they were comfortable with. With a sudden start the Hatter awakes, and this is where the madness starts... The Hatter, the March Hare, and a very dead Dormouse regale each other and the audience with absurd and confusing tales, spinning in and out of madness with funny wordplay, witty rhymes, and silly jokes aplenty. The whole scene is tinged in dark undertones, heightened by the confrontational approach of the Hatter, to the Hare as well as the audience, plunging everyone into the nonsensical madness of the perpetual time-loop that threatens to break the mind. Desperate and intense, funny and clever, this absurdist play is entertaining and surreal."
~Bianca, A SHINY LIFE FOR ME​​
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"The Strangest Never-Ending Tea Party You’ll Ever Attend... The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, directed by James Hyland, is an absurdist and immersive play that delves into memory loss and madness. Trapped by their memory loss and delusion, the Mad Hatter (played by James Hyland) and The March Hare (played by Joshua J. Jewkes) are stuck in an eternal wait for 6 o’clock, armed with gone-off milk and a table-that-is-not-really-a-table. By inviting the audience into the tea party, we are led down the rabbit hole with them both, taken on a journey that blurs the boundaries between fiction and reality. The outlandish Mad Hatter contrasts well with the seemingly more grounded March Hare, who attempts to reject the madness of Wonderland, although never quite manages to leave. An absurdist show in nature, Hyland uses a dormouse puppet and linguistic nonsense to consider the human condition, and how loneliness, loss, and grief can affect the mind. All sense of time and reality fades away in this performance... You leave this engaging show with a sense of confusion, unable to fully explain what you have just observed, though knowing that you had an entertaining evening... and can be accurately described as weird and wonderful!"
~Kashmini Shah, VOICE MAGAZINE