It’s apt for the West Australian Ballet to open ALICE (in wonderland) during our pre-election shenanigans since Lewis Carroll is said to have written a political satire in his original book. It is said that the Mad Hatter represents the then UK Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, presiding over the never-ending tea party, and wasting time. Keeping this in mind, it was hard not to figure out which of our politicians might be our Mad Hatter, Tweedledum and Tweedledee or the Cheshire Cat.

Ludovico Di Ubaldo as Lewis Carroll and Carina Roberts as Alice in ALICE (in wonderland), West Australian Ballet, 2022. Photo © Bradbury Photography

Satire or not this is a superlative production danced with immense sophistication, skill, intensity and charm. Watching the inventiveness being created before you, it seems that all your childhood daydreams have come true. The only quibble, for me, is that the first act is overlong – perhaps some of the flamingo scenes, which become a bit repetitive, could be cut. (Cutting, of course, would be an operative word in the case of election platitudes.)

That notwithstanding, ALICE (in wonderland) is inventively choreographed by the...