ALICE IN BLUNDERLAND-a less than Wonderful Wheeldon Ballet

ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon is being performed by the Nat'l Ballet of Canada at the Koch theater through Sunday.  Forego this aberation of ballet; even if seen through the looking glass.  Wheeldon has choreographed for world reknown companies & is a talented artist.  Here his artistry fell through a rabbit's hole. Collaborating with Tony Award designer, Bob Crowley (Aida, History Boys) & brilliant composer Joby Talbot (Royal Ballet & Nat'l Ballet of Canada) should have proven to be a dazzling & innovative ballet based on the Carroll's classic tale.  Talbot's music provided Wheeldon a wonderful score that captured the essence of Alice's adventures & provided the dancers plenty of legroom to stretch their under utilized talents.  There was minimal dancing & a huge spectacle that was distracting & less than spectacular.  Act I is a garden party complete with a jello mold that grows & devours Alice.  Alice heads down the mold bringing the production down with her.  The visual effects were overwhelming & unappealing.  The costumes included a humongous, inflexible red dress & crown for the queen of hearts & red latex costumes for her knaves complete with long, matching hatchets.  Off with their ridiculous gear!  They badly needed to pull a rabbit from a hat.  The exploding confetti & performers in the aisles flummoxed badly.  Worse, the cleaver waving cook & the butchered pig into sausages was repugnant.  Confused whether to stay or exit, the first minutes into Act II with a tap dancing mad hatter & a Cheshire Cat that disassembled convinced me to head for the door.  Take a puff of the hookah pipe if you are still planing to attend before going.  Tweedle dee & tweedle dum, this was anything but fun.