SOME of Cornwall’s most talented young performers are preparing to step into a world of madness, magic and mystery as BOOM Theatre brings Wonderland - The Musical to Truro from October 24 to 27 at Truro School Concert Hall.

While Frank Wildhorn and Jack Murphy’s musical recently toured the UK professionally, starring West End royalty Kerry Ellis and Natalie McQueen alongside TV star Wendi Peters, it only recently became available for amateur licensing, with only around a dozen permits issued nationally so far, meaning BOOM Theatre’s production is a rare opportunity to experience the show.

This is a contemporary musical inspired by Lewis Carroll’s much-loved stories, but with a twist on the familiar tale rather than the Alice in Wonderland audiences might expect.

In this version, Alice is an adult, married to Jack and struggling to balance the pressures of real life. When her young daughter Chloe follows her into Wonderland, Alice is drawn into a strange and unpredictable world filled with eccentric characters, powerful rulers, mysterious creatures and a battle between good and evil.

The production is particularly ambitious for a youth theatre company, with BOOM Theatre bringing together a professional creative team with experience across local, regional, West End and international productions to work alongside the young performers.

The creative team includes director Will Luckett, choreographer Philip Joel and musical director Richard Healey, giving the cast the opportunity to experience the standards and expectations of a professional theatre production while performing alongside their peers.

“We wanted to give our young performers the opportunity to be part of something really ambitious – a production that challenges them creatively and musically, while giving them an experience that feels as close as possible to working in the professional theatre industry,” said company co-founder Kirsten Edwards.

“The cast have worked incredibly hard and the result is a production we’re hugely proud of. Wonderland is visually exciting, musically challenging and full of characters that our young people have really thrown themselves into.”

BOOM Theatre’s Wonderland the Musical runs from October 24 to 27 at Truro School Concert Hall, at 7.30pm with 2.30pm matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Visit www.boomtheatre.uk.