2025 seems to be the year of Lewis Carroll’s Alice books insofar as Leeds is concerned. After the spectacular Wonderland Awaits installations throughout the City during the school holidays, we now have the Joss Arnott Dance presentation of Meet The Hatter, the headgear wearing character from the pen of Charles Dodgson. On looking at his significant dates and those of the two Alice books, there seems to be no apparent reason for this, so let’s just go with it for its own sake.
Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre is situated in the headquarters of Northern Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre, so there is no shortage of dancers milling around adding atmosphere to the excitement and anticipation of what is to come. In this case, both of the above feelings were well justified.
Dominic Coffey as Hatter – not a great name for someone organising a tea party!
This production is to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the founding of Joss Arnott Dance and was performed by Dominic Coffey, who shares the role with Robbie Ordoña. You will understand why when you see it, as it is over an hour of non-stop extreme physical effort.
The story reimagines the lot of The Mad Hatter, who has gone to the trouble of catering for a multitude of guests in providing a lavish tea party. The only problem is that no one turned up! I don’t know about being mad, I would have been furious. He remains quite sanguine about the situation though and, after a few false alarms, who prove to be people just passing by, he realises that it is tea for one, so lies down under the table and imagines his own version of Wonderland.
Robbie Ordoña, the other hatter.
The way in which he lets us in on his dream is done by the use of music, composed by Oleta Haffner, multimedia effects, from Urban Projections, lighting, by Josh Tomalin and animation, Alexandros Savvides. Dramaturg, Sue Buckmaster, Theatre-Rites and movement consultant, Miguel Altunaga make up the creative team to compliment the amazing choreography and artistic direction of Joss Arnott.
There are no physical props, the scenes being illustrated by the use of projected animation onto a plain black fine net curtain half way between the back and front of the stage. This enables the dancer to perform on both sides, as the action demands. The first image we see is of the fully laden table awaiting the guests, under which he crawls to have a lie down and drift into the unknown when he realises his predicament. To enhance the atmosphere of desolation, the lighting is subdued and images are grey and black, but they burst into colour when the action switches to the imaginary Wonderland.
Who’s a big bunny then? Don’t worry, it shrinks to normal size.
On the journey we encounter the White Rabbit, who is introduced in a touching scene with Hatter trying to get to know it by giving it food, and March Hare with whom he does a splendid dance routine, reminiscent of Gene Kelly and Jerry Mouse in Anchors Aweigh, although not quite. so lavish – one for the oldies. There are also lots of geometric shapes which The Hatter conjurs up and then plays with. They really are spectacular, especially a globe which was phenomenal and brought gasps from the audience at several points. The synchronisation between the dancer, the music and the animation was absolutely perfect, making the whole thing seem plausible. Speaking of the music, it ranged from the languid, to what seemed to me like rock symphony when we were travelling through the universe on the big adventure.
Hatter and his, soon to be, dancing partner, Hare.
As you would expect, the show ends on a high, with an explosion of colour, turning the fully laden dining table from drab black and grey – I don’t wonder no one came, the teapots and cups looked filthy – into a display worthy of the china department of Fortnum and Mason, complete with multi-coloured harlequin tablecloth.
The globe, which rotates. Amazing.
Although the age recommendation is skewed in favour of the younger end of the population, 5+, don’t let that put you off. Even curmudgeonly old gits like me will get lots of pleasure out of the show, as well as being more than impressed by the technicalities involved.
Meet The Hatter is now on tour, calling at Mansfield on 2nd October, then Barnsley, Lincoln, Bradford, Darlington, Manchester and ending on 26th February, 2026 at Rochdale. For full details please go to https://jossarnottdance.com/ where you can click on Meet The Hatter for venue details, dates, booking and even view the digital programme.
To see what else is coming to Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre it is https://northernballet.com/theatre
Photographs by Josh Tomalin
Tyke It To The Limit 