The Australian Ballet is doing Alice in Wonderland again and on one hand I’ve seen it before, and on the other, their Queen of Hearts has my favourite costume in anything every
It’s just this and her court pushes her around the stage on wheels and every act it gets taller until she towers over everyone
Also in act 3 (I think) it swings open at the front and her husband is sitting inside reading a newspaper
I saw this again on Tuesday so here are some things I’d forgotten about:
This is the only Alice adaptation I’ve ever seen that doesn’t cut the caucus race
The mad hatter wears taps throughout and it’s so jarring and surprising it’s perfect
The executioner shadows almost everyone who dances with the Queen
Lewis Carroll is a character in the ballet and becomes the white rabbit who leads Alice into wonderland which is bad and wrong because Carroll is the dodo but does work very well
They started dropping rose petals from the ceiling onto the audience when Alice looked through the door to the garden and it was utterly magic
The Cheshire Cat is made of about 10 different puppets that dance around the stage
Which reminds me Alice is styled after Alice Liddell rather than the John Tenniel illustrations
I don’t think the king of hearts actually dances he just wanders around looking confused
here’s a video
more. (btw this is a parody/reference to the very famous “rose adagio” from sleeping beauty)
the Caterpillar is pretty neat too
(all of these videos are from the Royal Ballet’s productions in 2014 and 2017)
Finally an adaptation that makes feel like I’m going to have stroke, it’s perfect
The Dacre Beasts are heraldic emblems, representing one of the most powerful families in medieval England. The figures were carved from the same oak tree, which was felled between 1499 and 1549, according to dendrochronological analysis.
The Bull supports the banner of the 2nd Baron Dacre, with three scallop shells. Thomas Lord Dacre was a Knight of the Garter, as well as a confidante to King Henry VIII.
The Dolphin supports the Greystroke banner, with three cushions d’argent. Elizabeth de Greystroke was Thomas Lord Dacre’s wife and the Greystroke family heiress. The two eloped ca. 1488 and Lord Dacre was made Baron Greystroke jure uxoris.
The Ram supports the the de Multon banner, with argent, three bars gu, in chief a lion passant gardant. Margaret de Multon married the 3rd Baron Dacre, Randolph, in 1313.
The Griffin supports the New Greystroke Arms, with three rose chaplets. The Griffin represents Lord Dacre’s forebears, the Dacres of Gilsland. The New Greystroke Arms were painted on the banner during 19th century restoration.
Fantastic advice!! And something I’ve realized I’ve been doing for myself these last 6-7 years, even though I never had a name for it.
Seriously, this is such a great way to go about organizing your home.
I really can’t express how much easier your life can be when you accept that there’s no objectively right way to do this kind of stuff, especially when you let go of the idea that it’s a moral failure when you can’t do something the “correct way” nor is it evidence of you being lazy.
Working with (leaning into) your natural limits and instincts can do wonders for you in your day-to-day life.
