In this retelling of Lewis Carroll’’s classic tale, Alice’’s fall down the rabbit hole turns into a terrifying descent through the centre of the earth, accelerating her to terminal velocity, hopelessly snarling her long hair into a tangled mess, and nearly setting it alight. Things go from bad to worse as she sets out through Wonderland’’s familiar, yet strangely-altered places, where she encounters characters whose personalities have also radically changed. There is no timid mouse in the pool of tears she creates when weeping over the absolute mess of her hair-but rather a French sewer rat. Climbing out of the pool she encounters the last of the Dodos, the lonely, love-sick, sole survivor of his species, ended up in Wonderland by diving down another hole, narrowly managing to evade starving, voracious Dutch sailor. Travelling from place to place seeking a haircut (and at times, a shave), Alice also encounters the Queen of Hearts, who resembles an overweight Spanish beauty and who performs for Alice an energetic flamenco, leaving her Majesty too exhausted to play croquet. Instead of a Hatter, Alice meets a Hairdresser, and at one point has a close encounter of the worst kind with the Wasp from Looking-glass Land-who takes her for a tasty-looking larva. In the end, Alice’’s hair takes centre stage in a surprising and hilarious climax.
