A COLOURFUL reimagining of much-loved children’s tale Alice in Wonderland will come to Bracknell next month.

Featuring a West End standard score, an award-winning creative team and a cast of homegrown talent playing a host of eccentric characters, Alice in Wonderland - A Magical Musical Adventure will delight audiences at South Hill Park from April 15 to 19.

The spectacular show is being worked on by talented costume designer Naomi Gibbs, who also designed the costumes for South Hill Park’s panto Aladdin.

Her inspiration for the costumes for Alice in Wonderland came from the script as well as from discussions with director Rosie.

She said: “My designs are heavily informed also by Victoria Spearing’s stunning set designs (I worked from her initial sketches from our first production meeting).

“Her vision always feeds mine on the numerous times I have had the pleasure of working with her.

“She gives me visuals and a palette to help create a cohesive look between us.”

With an iconic character such as the Red Queen to design a costume for, you may think Naomi had to put together dozens of drawings before settling on the right one - but it was actually just the one.

She said: “As we are setting this production in the 1940s (I am a huge fan of the mid-century aesthetics), I instinctively knew where I wanted to go with it.

“You may have picked up that Laura’s Red Queen is very much a Femme-Fatale-like figure.

“In my eyes, they have a cold regality to them in the old movies. I took some inspiration from Rita Hayworth in Gilda.”

The costumes for the White Rabbit and the March Hare were “immensely fun” to design and interpret, Naomi added.

She said: “Eagle-eyed fashionistas in the audience may notice that I reference a pinch of Vivienne Westwood’s early to mid 1990s couture collections, with the plaids, the fitted bodices, hats and bustle details. Lots of fun!”

With colossal film giant Disney having made Alice an iconic character, Naomi was keen to add her own touch to the way she dressed.

She said: “I didn’t want our Alice to be in baby blue with a white pinafore. Instead, I chose what I hope will be exactly the right shade of periwinkle to correspond well as she travels between real world 1940s and Wonderland.

“If I had chosen to muddy a blue, such as a true 1940s air force shade, the lighting designer would have had a nightmare trying to make her look crisp and clear in Wonderland.

“I did a take on a true vintage dress I saw and loved and redesigned it to suit all three of our wonderful ‘Alices’.”

Tickets are £22 (£19 for members) and are available online at www.southhillpark.org.uk/events/alice-in-wonderland or by calling the ticket office on 01344 484123.