GMG: Review of CIRQUE ALICE: Astounding Aerial and Acrobatic Adventures

October 17, 2026

The wistful underground world Lewis Carroll described in his 1865 children's story "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" is the home of a number of wacky colorful denizens. This out-of-the-box quality made this classic book a natural theme for a theatrical production rendered in the style of Cirque de Soleil, where acrobatic and strongman feats are incorporated with music, dance and special visual effects to create one dazzling extravaganza. 

"Cirque Alice" by Tim Lawson and Simon Painter had its world premiere in April 10, 2025 in Brisbane, Australia, and had since been brought around the world.  The creative team of this touring production is led by creative directors Ash Jacks McCready and Kirsty Painter, with choreography by Dane Bates, costumes by Angela Aaron, lighting design by Hugo Mercier, and musical arrangements by Martin Raabe-Olsen and Marius Christiansen.

When we entered the Theater at Solaire, the stage is already adorned with garlands of small blue lights suspended above it. There was a raised rounded platform in the middle, with steps of both sides. There was an arch at the back where the actors would make their entrances. On either side of the platform were three rows of chairs with tables, to seat those who bought the premium VVIP tickets, giving them an ultra-close-up view of the circus spectacle. 

Mad Hatter, White Rabbit and Alice with the dancers 

The show started with the White Rabbit (Raphael Papo) skillfully playing his fiddle, and Alice (Layla Schillert) singing "Flower Duet" from the opera "Lakme" with her soaring soprano voice. She would go weaving around a group of dancers before deciding to follow the White Rabbit go down a hole in the middle of the platform, and then her big adventure begins. Variations of this sequence -- violin playing, operatic singing, ethereal dancing -- would serve to smoothly transition one act with the next for the rest of the show. 

The first act started with the Mad Hatter (Darren "Dizzy" Partridge), who picked volunteers from the audience to help him with his funny magic tricks, spiced with pickpocketing skill. Tweedle-Dum used his powerful legs to flip his partner Tweedle-Dee around in the air. March Hare used a large hoop called a Cyr Wheel to spin around using centrifugal force. There were also a quartet of contortionists (the Caterpillars), a power aerialist on a suspended pole (the Butterfly), and a couple in white rapidly spinning on roller skates (White King and Queen). 

The Caterpillars curling up

The Butterfly soaring high

The White King and Queen spin around on their roller skates

The second act had one breathtaking highlight after another. The Dormouse showed off his skills in balancing on an unstable pile of moving tubes. The petite Queen of Hearts who slinked around a crescent moon displaying unreal feats of strength and flexibility. The Flamingos were a glamorous couple in pink leotards who regaled us with their death-defying yet romantic aerial ballet. The Knights were strongman act where one precariously balanced his partner head upon head while going up and down steps -- twice!

The Dormouse's delicate balancing 

The Queen of Hearts graceful display of strength and flexibility 

Crowd favorites The Flamingos in full flight

This is only the third Cirque production I have seen in Manila. My first one was "Kaos" at the Newport Performing Arts Center in 2011 (MY REVIEW). The next was "Cirque du Soleil's Toruk - The First Flight" at the MOA Arena in 2017 (MY REVIEW). Compared to those two, "Cirque Alice" is of a smaller scale and more intimate in atmosphere, which gives it a unique charm all its own. This show gathered the best specimens of human athleticism and provides them a grand beautiful showcase to display their talents. We watch, enjoy and gasp in awe. 

Final look at the whole Cast

***********

CIRQUE ALICE runs from October 16–25, 2026, at The Theatre at Solaire. There are shows from Tuesday to Friday (8 pm), Saturdays (3pm and 8pm) and Sundays (1:30 pm and 6pm). Ticket prices range from P6,500 to P2,000 for Tuesday to Thursday shows, P7,500 to P2000 for Friday to Sunday shows.