Cirque Alice Manila Review: Two Hours of Escape

Alice in a pale blue dress beside the Queen of Hearts, surrounded by playing-card characters in Cirque Alice — Alice and the Queen of Hearts in Cirque Alice. Supplied production photograph courtesy of GMG Productions.

Cirque Alice turns The Theatre at Solaire into a fantastical big top. It is a fun two-hour escape into the endearingly bizarre world of Alice in Wonderland. Opera, ballet and acrobatics share the stage, and the pleasure is in seeing what this peculiar world will make room for next.

I watched the October 16, 2026 performance at The Theatre at Solaire in Parañaque City. GMG Productions presents the Manila engagement.

Alice's adventure is a thin thread connecting the themed acts, and I enjoyed that arrangement. Each performance has room to offer its own charm, with Alice giving the evening a familiar shape as it moves from one act to another.

Alice herself provides the operatic singing. The music draws on contemporary arrangements of classical favorites, while the costumes and lighting carry Wonderland through the changing performances. In one aerial sequence, a performer extends across a suspended pole against crossing beams of blue light. The whole stage picture is part of the fun.

An aerial performer extends both legs around a suspended pole above the blue-lit Cirque Alice stage, with costumed performers seated at either side — An aerial act during the October 16, 2026 performance. Still from video supplied by Saul de Jesus / Unsaulicited.

The Hatter's comedy gives the evening its changes of pace. Those interludes sit well between the other acts, and the balance feels right across the two hours. I didn't find a weak act in the lineup.

My palms were sweaty at times watching the acts. The audience's energy added to the fun, with plenty of laughter, clapping and reactions all around me. It was refreshing to hear people respond so freely, especially the children in the crowd.

The Flamingos' difficulty and flow

The Flamingos were the act that amazed me most. In one sequence, one performer hangs upside down above the other while the lower performer opens both arms and legs, then draws the knees inward as they turn together in midair.

They moved almost like lovers, with a sense of risk running through each stunt. What impressed me was how they kept the duet flowing through those difficult changes. There was as much to enjoy in the transitions as in the poses they reached.

The Flying Flamingos suspended one above the other, with the upper performer inverted and the lower performer curled below — The Flying Flamingos in Cirque Alice. Supplied production photograph courtesy of GMG Productions.

Why I would choose the Orchestra

I sat in Orchestra Left, seat U36, and could see everything. For this production, I would choose the Orchestra over the selected seats onstage.

The show draws attention across the stage and into the space above it. From U36, I could take in the acts along with the lighting and surrounding action. That overall view suited the way I enjoyed Cirque Alice, especially with so much movement to follow.

The view from Orchestra Left U36 showing Cirque Alice's central platform, onstage tables and overhead blue lighting at The Theatre at Solaire — The view from Orchestra Left, seat U36, for Cirque Alice at The Theatre at Solaire on October 16, 2026. Image supplied by Saul de Jesus / Unsaulicited.

A limited engagement at Solaire

Cirque Alice has a limited public engagement from October 17 to 25, 2026 at The Theatre at Solaire, Solaire Resort Entertainment City, Parañaque City. The venue lists a running time of approximately two hours, including a 20-minute interval.

Tickets are available through the official Cirque Alice booking page on TicketWorld.