It’s not every day a play makes it to its tenth birthday, let alone one that sprang to life from a carpark conversation, a feathered Raven costume, and a very intense look at some cutlery. But that’s exactly how Wondered—Elodie Boal’s twisted, witty, and deliciously dark take on Alice in Wonderland—came to be. Now, a decade later, the play that started as a passion project is back on stage with a fresh cast, new lines, and all the beautifully bonkers energy that’s made it a cult fave.
We sat down with Elodie (who once played Alice herself!) to talk full-circle moments, the magic of mad characters, and how it feels to revisit the tea party ten years on—this time from behind the scenes. Spoiler: it’s emotional, a little surreal, and very, very exciting.
Catch the 10th Anniversary production of Wondered this April — full show details and tickets are available here. Don’t be late… you know what the Hatter says about that.
Let’s go back to the beginning—what first inspired you to create Wondered?
It all started in 2014. I had just written my first ever play Crush, which will forever remain in the depths of my Microsoft Folders. I was ready to write my next script and I wanted to do something a little more reflective of my personality – something that showcased my love of witty wordplay and puns and that fitted more in my directorial interests, which sits in the realm of dark comedy’s, gothic tales and macabre theatre.
Was there a specific moment or experience that sparked the concept?
Absolutely—I was acting in New Farm Nash Theatre’s Once Upon a Midnight, which was a stage presentation of multiple Edgar Allen Poe’s works. During an adaptation ofThe System of Dr Tarr & Professor Fether, the staging saw a long table situated in the round, with actors each embodying a particular animal or character. I was cast as the Raven bird in this show, and was dressed completely in black, with feathers and all. Reagan Warner, who stars as the Hatter in Wondered, was a co-star in this production and he wore a top hat and suit. I feel like it was a combination of playing mad in an asylum, the way that Reagan intricately inspected the cutlery on the table and our costumes, but it all had me thinking “we’re literally at the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party”, and thus the fuse was sparked. Pretty sure I told Reagan “I’m going to write a play about Lewis Carroll’s Adventures of Alice in Wonderland“, and a week later we were reading the first five pages before our rehearsal in the carpark. A raven really is like a writing desk.
The world of Wondered is so distinctive—how did you go about building that universe on stage?
This version of Wonderland is written from the perspective that ‘Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland’ and ‘Through The Looking Glass’ have occurred, there’s also been a third time that Alice was meant to visit but never showed, and we now have the fourth and final time she returns to Wonderland. This means Wonderland is an anarchical state, where everything that was once before is now not. The script toys with what is reality and what is dreamt. Where do the two sides of the brain (logic and creative) sit in in this world to determine the truth. I guess the challenging part is conveying this, but it’s very much engrained into the set – one side is logical and one side is creative. Also, I like to ensure that I’ve covered as many references to Alice In Wonderland so I the set is thorough and we’ve paid attention to all the details.
Did you ever imagine the play would be resonating with audiences a decade later?
Never in a million years. I didn’t even think it would win an award the first festival we entered. I also find it so interesting to see how audiences interpret the show, because there’s more than one meaning and I never knew that until after it had premiered. I’m so glad it gets a new life again and that people will still connect with it. I think it’s everyone’s love of fractured fairy tales and origin stories. There’s so many live actions coming to cinemas. These are tales we’ve grown up with as children, so it’s fun and intriguing to think of them a little more twisted now that we’re all adults.
How has working on Wondered shaped you as a director and storyteller?
I think it has made me more detailed as a director and writer. Specifically because the dialogue in Wondered is so intricate. There’s a lot of word play: double meanings, plays on puns, spelling oddities like tea-par-tea. Every line is intentional and feeds into the next, with the grammar so specific to separate thoughts. I guess, when I approach a text now, I try to focus on the author’s intent – why did they write that the way they did; what are the grammar and words telling us? I think that feeds into my concepts and ideas. When we delivered Wondered I wanted it to feel like a movie on stage, from the moment the curtains open, to the last song. It’s all interconnected. So that’s my ethos now. I’m an immersive-styled director within a proscenium playing space.
Is there a character or moment in the play you still feel emotionally connected to?
Having played Alice, I’m always going to feel a connection to her. That being said, I’m really happy to be on the other side, behind the scenes this time round. I’m also blessed to have Sophie Mason on board this show. We’ve worked together on another one of my plays The Descent, where she had to literally play a younger version of me. There’s no one more perfect to pass the baton to and she’s incredibly brilliant. Also, side note, I’ve never actually seen my own show live. I think this anniversary production will be the most I’ll ever be connected to it, as I’ll be able to see what audiences get to experience… and holy heck that’s wild!
If you could go back and give yourself advice on opening night back in 2015, what would it be?
Probably something along the lines of “You have no idea what you’ve created, what it will become and where you’re going in life. It all works out in every aspect and yes, Grandad would be proud. Oh, and the best thing is the advice Mum gave to you too: continue to be humble.”
Finally, what does this anniversary mean to you personally—and what’s next for you?
It means many many things. It means its 10-years since I said “I could be a writer” and took the chance to believe in myself. It means 10-years of being in the world without my Grandad. It’s 10-years of celebrating a script and play that’s very dear to me and everyone who has been involved in its journey. And it’s now a new year for audiences to embrace a very fun, very mad, very wonderful play and hopefully they fall in love with it too.
What’s next? Continuing my love of twisted characters and fractured storylines, with my parody concert show A Night With The Villains. This will be returning in 2025, and it’s an original concept I dreamt up many moons ago. It’s now in its third year and it just keeps getting better and better.
Wondered, April 5 and 6, Ron Hurley Theatre, Seven Hills Hub, 28 Tallowwood St, Seven Hills QLD 4170. Get your tickets here.
In her spare time, she likes long walks down the makeup aisle and performing in Brisbane theatre. You can follow her adventures on Instagram and TikTok @thebeautypalate.
