Alice's Day to transform Oxford into Wonderland this summer
There will be street theatre, talks, storytelling, and guided walks as Oxford celebrates Alice's Adventures in Wonderland this summer.
The Story Museum has announced the return of Alice's Day, an annual event that transforms Oxford into a wonderland.
Taking place on Saturday, July 5, this year's festival will follow the theme of 'Quests and Adventures'.
Alice's Day will return to Oxford this July (Image: The Story Museum)
Alice's Day will return to Oxford this July (Image: The Story Museum) In July 1862, Charles Dodgson took Alice Liddell and her sisters on a boating picnic up the River Thames from Folly Bridge in Oxford.
To amuse the children, he told them a story about a little girl, sitting bored by a riverbank, who finds herself tumbling down a rabbit hole into a topsy-turvy world called Wonderland.
Ten-year-old Alice asked Mr Dodgson to write the story down, and the result was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, published in 1865 under the pen name Lewis Carroll.
Visitors to Oxford will have the chance to see the Red Queen procession, a life-size pack of cards, and Alice herself chasing the White Rabbit, all performed by Curious Company.
Other venues taking part include the Bodleian Libraries, Museum of Oxford, History of Science Museum, The Lewis Carroll Society, Oxford Water Walks, The Oxford Children's Book Group, and Alice's Shop.
Alice's Day will return to Oxford this July (Image: The Story Museum)
Alice's Day will return to Oxford this July (Image: The Story Museum) Christ Church, once home to Alice Liddell, will host croquet in the masters' garden in partnership with the Eynsham Croquet Club.
It will also have a talk by Phillip Roberts about the Magic Lantern, a 19th-century storytelling device used by travelling entertainers.
This event will include a performance of Lewis Carroll slides, recently acquired by Christ Church Library.
The Story Museum will offer half-price entry to its interactive galleries, and visitors will have the chance to play Snarks and Riddles, a board game designed by the museum's young Story Curators.
This life-size game is inspired by the story worlds of Lewis Carroll.
Alice's Day will return to Oxford this July (Image: The Story Museum)
Alice's Day will return to Oxford this July (Image: The Story Museum) The museum's magic common room will host the giant Wonderland afternoon tea, featuring cakes, sandwiches, and savouries made by the café team.
Ameneh Enayat, The Story Museum's head of creative programme, said: "We are incredibly excited to reveal another unforgettable Alice's Day.
"We are especially pleased to reveal the new interactive board game, made by our young Story Curators; a team of budding designers aged 11 to 16 working with The Story Museum to develop skills in immersive exhibitions in weekly after-school sessions during term time.
"We are incredibly grateful to our partners who work so hard to make this day so special.
"I can't think of many children's stories that have influenced art, fashion, food, and film the way that Alice has, and it's wonderful to think that it all originated here in Oxford."
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Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Review: ‘Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' is Joffrey Ballet's wacky and wonderful season closer
The Joffrey Ballet's season rarely extends this far into summer, but it's safe to say 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' was worth the wait. This beast of a ballet by the Tony Award-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon had its North American premiere at the Lyric Opera House on Thursday. If, like for me, Lewis Carroll's 1865 fairy tale about a girl who stumbles into Wonderland is a core memory, all those beloved characters are there, with a splendidly cogent (and at times delightfully grotesque) libretto. It's more Tim Burton than Disney, but you'll recognize moments no matter your preferred version (including my personal favorite, the 1985 TV movie musical starring Jayne Meadows and Carol Channing). Following a drowse-inducing garden party at her Victorian Oxford estate, Alice (magnificently danced Thursday by Amanda Assucena) awakens to find an anxiously tardy White Rabbit (Stefan Gonçalvez). She of course must follow him, kicking off a series of Don Quixote-style adventures with wild, wacky and terrifying characters. Letting her curiosity guide her, she encounters a tea party hosted by a tap-dancing Mad Hatter (Edson Barbosa) and a slithering Cheshire Cat (whose dismantlement is made possible by a corps of dancer-puppeteers). Indeed, 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' will resonate strongly with those who adore 'Alice' — so much so that Joffrey extended the production to three weekends before it opened. In any case, exploiting its usefulness as a ballet was far overdue. There is much within Wheeldon's zany world for everyone to admire. Very small children may not appreciate some scarier moments, most notably a scene at the Duchess' house, in which viewers quite literally see how the sausage gets made. The brutish Duchess (Dylan Gutierrez) and her ax-wielding cook (Lucia Connolly) contribute some of the night's most, um, salient imagery. The pair of them (along with henchmen Valentino Moneglia Zamora, Hyuma Kiyosawa and Xavier Núñez) are terrifically terrifying. 'Alice's' third and final act is devoted almost wholly to the search for who stole the Queen of Hearts' tart. It begins with a game of croquet, played with bendy flamingoes on pointe as the mallets, striking adorable summersaulting hedgehogs. This not-so-regal realm, ruled by prima ballerina Victoria Jaiani as supreme leader, embarks on a tribunal when it's uncovered that the Knave of Hearts — a two-eyed Jack danced by the princely Alberto Velazquez — is most likely the offender and about to lose his head. Hilarity ensues. As hard as it will be to peel your eyes from Jaiani, every once in a while, be sure to glimpse her ridiculous King (marking David Gombert's glorious return to the Joffrey stage 15 years after retirement). There are tender moments, too, particularly in a satisfyingly sweet duet for Assucena and Velazquez as Alice tries to accept the blame in tart-gate. She eventually prevails, if only by waking up back in Oxford. If there's a lesson to be learned from 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland,' it might be that taking the blame for your boyfriend's impropriety could turn out poorly. That, and vindictive, power-hungry leaders whose kingdoms are built on a literal house of cards are not likely to succeed. Cleverly, 'Alice' borrows hallmarks from the ballets of Carroll's time, winking at canonical works like 'The Nutcracker,' 'Sleeping Beauty' and 'Cinderella.' There's a waltz of flowers; a for our protagonist and her scrappy love interest; a hilariously satirized 'Rose Adagio' for the Queen of Hearts and four suitors (in this case, hearts and clubs); and a shirtless, hookah-smoking sultan-turned-Caterpillar (Jonathan Dole) performing a seductive take on 'the worm' with a quartet of scantily clad temple women. I'm pretty sure we didn't need that last one when 'Alice' premiered in London in 2011, and I'm certain we don't need it in 2025 — though I'll take the cameo of academy kids as sparkly pointe-shoed caterpillar legs all day, every day, plus Sunday. To be clear, such tongue-and-cheek references now to 19th century ballet are generally welcome and especially fun for those who see the parallels — perhaps even more so to those familiar with Wheeldon's catalog, too, which includes Joffrey's nearly decade-old 'Nutcracker.' In some instances, that ballet and this one parrot one another; Wheeldon went so far as to use some of the exact same ideas in his 'Nutcracker's' transformation and snow scenes, further tugging the plot parallels to these two coming-of-age stories set in magical fairy lands that may or may not have all been a dream. But 'Alice's' superpowers, all due respect to 'The Nutcracker,' are its magnificently evocative original score (by Joby Talbot) and Wheeldon's pinpointed attention to detail in every character, masterfully embraced by the Joffrey's excellent dancers, whose full-throttled performances and comedic prowess grab you and hold on for the entirety of this (very, very long) spectacle. Another thing: Wheeldon's imagination could only run this wild in a superbly-crafted Wonderland, made possible through the ingenuity of scenic and costume designer Bob Crowley, lighting designer Natasha Katz, projectionists Jon Driscoll and Gemma Carrington and puppeteer Toby Olié — seamlessly executed by a Joffrey team that, frankly, has never attempted something this big. 'Alice' was originally created for London's Royal Ballet, a company of 100 dancers and nearly 10 times Joffrey's budget. Until Thursday, it had not been performed this side of the Atlantic. Pulling it off was going to be a challenge. But they did. And Wonderland turned out to be a risk that will pay off in Joffrey Ballet presents 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' (4 stars) When: Through June 22 Where: Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive Running time: 2 hours, 50 minutes with 2 intermissions Tickets: $45-$233 at 312-386-8905 and
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Yahoo
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hey, Mister!
There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Hey, Mister! Constructor: Emma Oxford Editor: Amanda Rafkin HABITS (5A: "Bad ___" (2021 Ed Sheeran hit)) "Bad HABITS" is a 2021 song by Ed Sheeran. It's the lead single from his fifth studio album, = ("Equals"). In the music video for "Bad HABITS," Ed Sheeran portrays a vampire wearing a hot pink suit. ARETHA (15A: "Queen of Soul" Franklin) ARETHA Franklin (1942-2018) is considered the "Queen of Soul." During her seven-decade music career, 112 of her singles charted on the U.S. Billboard charts, and she won 18 Grammy Awards. Fun fact: ARETHA Franklin was the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; that happened in 1987. ALICE (23A: Girl who travels to Wonderland) The world first met ALICE in Lewis Carroll's 1865 book, ALICE's Adventures in Wonderland. Here's an amazing fact: Since its release 160 years ago, this book has never been out of print. The story has also been adapted numerous times, and ALICE has been the inspiration for many characters. DOE (32A: Fawn's mother) and EWE (3D: Lamb's mother) The parallel clue structure is a nice way to tie these two clues together. ING (34A: Gerund suffix) For those of us who haven't studied grammar for some time, a gerund is the -ING form of a word. In English, a gerund is derived from a verb, but functions as a noun, and can be a subject or object of a sentence. ANN (41A: ___ Arbor, Michigan) ANN Arbor, Michigan, which is located west of Detroit, is home to the University of Michigan. The city was founded in 1824 by John Allen and Elisha Walker Rumsey. Both men were married to women named ANN, so they decided to name the city after their wives. The "Arbor" part of the name is a reference to the stands of bur oak trees in the area. ANEMIA (45A: Blood condition) ANEMIA is a condition in which the blood has a decreased ability to carry oxygen. 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Every time I encounter an "I'M NOT A ROBOT" message, I can't help but wonder, "Am I A ROBOT?" I also wonder if a ROBOT can be trained to identify that CAPTCHA message and check the box. NATHAN (65A: "Mid-Century Modern" actor Lane) Mid-Century Modern is a TV series that premiered on Hulu in March of this year. NATHAN Lane, Matt Bomer, and NATHAN Lee Graham star as three best friends – "gay gentlemen of a certain age" – who become roommates. Linda Lavin also stars on the show, as the mother of NATHAN Lane's character. Mid-Century Modern is Linda Lavin's last TV role, as she died after the taping of the show's first seven episodes. Her character was written out of the show in the first season episode, "Here's To You Mrs. Schneiderman." RAE (2D: "Insecure" actress Issa) In addition to starring in the TV series Insecure, as the character Issa Dee, Issa RAE is also the creator and co-writer of the show. 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"Chipsi mayai" is Swahili for "chips and eggs." POET (38D: Limon or Keats, e.g.) Ada Limón is the current POET Laureate of the United States. John Keats (1795-1821) was an English Romantic POET. You can read the work of Ada Limón, John Keats, and other POETs on the Poetry Foundation website. ALBANY (45D: Capital of New York) ALBANY, the capital of New York, is located on the Hudson River in upstate New York. MONTE (52D: ___ Carlo (gambling destination on the Mediterranean)) MONTE Carlo is an administrative state of Monaco, a city-state on the French Riviera. MONTE Carlo is home to the MONTE Carlo Casino. Interestingly, citizens of Monaco are not allowed to enter the casino unless they work there. Only about 20% of Monaco's population are citizens, so this interesting law only affects approximately 6,000 people. 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PEANUT, and MR. ROBOT. HEY, we have a trio of MISTERs today! MR. CLEAN, who made his TV debut in 1958, is the mascot of the Proctor & Gamble all-purpose cleaning product of the same name. MR. PEANUT is the top hat-wearing, monocled mascot of Planters who made his first appearance in 1916. MR. ROBOT is a TV series that aired from 2015-2019. It stars Rami Malek as Elliot Anderson, a cybersecurity engineer and vigilante hacker. Christian Slater portrays the title role. The theme answer KEEP IT CLEAN tipped me off to the theme, and I enjoyed discovering each subsequent MISTER. Congratulations to Emma Oxford making a USA Today crossword debut! Thank you, Emma, for this excellent puzzle. USA TODAY's Daily Crossword Puzzles Sudoku & Crossword Puzzle Answers This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for June 3, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Yahoo
Alice's Day to transform Oxford into Wonderland this summer
There will be street theatre, talks, storytelling, and guided walks as Oxford celebrates Alice's Adventures in Wonderland this summer. The Story Museum has announced the return of Alice's Day, an annual event that transforms Oxford into a wonderland. Taking place on Saturday, July 5, this year's festival will follow the theme of 'Quests and Adventures'. Alice's Day will return to Oxford this July (Image: The Story Museum) Alice's Day will return to Oxford this July (Image: The Story Museum) In July 1862, Charles Dodgson took Alice Liddell and her sisters on a boating picnic up the River Thames from Folly Bridge in Oxford. To amuse the children, he told them a story about a little girl, sitting bored by a riverbank, who finds herself tumbling down a rabbit hole into a topsy-turvy world called Wonderland. Ten-year-old Alice asked Mr Dodgson to write the story down, and the result was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, published in 1865 under the pen name Lewis Carroll. Visitors to Oxford will have the chance to see the Red Queen procession, a life-size pack of cards, and Alice herself chasing the White Rabbit, all performed by Curious Company. Other venues taking part include the Bodleian Libraries, Museum of Oxford, History of Science Museum, The Lewis Carroll Society, Oxford Water Walks, The Oxford Children's Book Group, and Alice's Shop. Alice's Day will return to Oxford this July (Image: The Story Museum) Alice's Day will return to Oxford this July (Image: The Story Museum) Christ Church, once home to Alice Liddell, will host croquet in the masters' garden in partnership with the Eynsham Croquet Club. It will also have a talk by Phillip Roberts about the Magic Lantern, a 19th-century storytelling device used by travelling entertainers. This event will include a performance of Lewis Carroll slides, recently acquired by Christ Church Library. The Story Museum will offer half-price entry to its interactive galleries, and visitors will have the chance to play Snarks and Riddles, a board game designed by the museum's young Story Curators. This life-size game is inspired by the story worlds of Lewis Carroll. Alice's Day will return to Oxford this July (Image: The Story Museum) Alice's Day will return to Oxford this July (Image: The Story Museum) The museum's magic common room will host the giant Wonderland afternoon tea, featuring cakes, sandwiches, and savouries made by the café team. Ameneh Enayat, The Story Museum's head of creative programme, said: "We are incredibly excited to reveal another unforgettable Alice's Day. "We are especially pleased to reveal the new interactive board game, made by our young Story Curators; a team of budding designers aged 11 to 16 working with The Story Museum to develop skills in immersive exhibitions in weekly after-school sessions during term time. "We are incredibly grateful to our partners who work so hard to make this day so special. "I can't think of many children's stories that have influenced art, fashion, food, and film the way that Alice has, and it's wonderful to think that it all originated here in Oxford."
