Written by Greta for Theatre and Tonic

Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. All views are our own

Content advice: references to violence.

LegalAliens are a Theatre of Sanctuary, dedicated to providing safe creative spaces for asylum seekers and people with lived experience of migration and displacement. Their Ali in Wonder(Eng)land brings together a large and diverse cast, and shares their perspective on navigating Britain’s immigration system.

As the title suggests, Ali in Wonder(Eng)land uses Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland as a framing device, presenting a collection of surreal episodes experienced by the protagonist Ali, who is trying to obtain a Leave to Remain from the Home Office. The show plays with many aspects of the original fairytale; Wonder(Eng)land is depicted as a confusing, grotesque environment, where the inhabitants’ silly quirks often reveal a deep-rooted hostility.

Ali’s journey is interspersed with more personal anecdotes from some of the performers’ experiences. These moments offer an unfiltered insight into specific stories, which I found to be the most interesting part of the show. The ensemble looks at ease with each other, employing physical theatre building blocks to maintain a feeling of trust and curiosity.

Live music accompanies the piece, together with the use of projection to emphasise particularly relevant words and messages. The theatrical devices used to make Ali shrink and expand are particularly successful; other aspects of the production are not as effective, leaving me wondering whether a more careful approach to dramaturgy and structuring could have served the premise better.

Ultimately, the strength of the show is the community it creates in the collective exercise of storytelling and artistic expression. The family and friends gathered in the sold-out theatre to support refugee and migrant voices is testament of the impact of LegalAliens’ work.

Ali in Wonder(Eng)land is playing at Jackson’s Lane until the 15th of July 2026.

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