Mike Finch explains his Mad Hatter's Tea Party

Expect chaos at the Mad Hatter's Tea Party.

Director Mike Finch promises "chaotic fun" when his version of Alice in Wonderland comes to Auckland.

Your new show is based on Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. What changes have you made?

Like all of my work, I wanted to make a show that connects with the broadest possible audience, that's life-affirming, comic, spectacular and irreverent. Lewis Carroll is such incredible source material because it's so surreal, unexpected and absurd, so there was lots of room to play. I chose not to include Alice herself as a character, with the sense that the audience members themselves are all, in a sense, playing the Alice role or a sane outsider coming into this ridiculous world.

What else can we expect at your New Zealand shows?

I cast the show almost entirely with circus performers, so there are lots of tricks, juggling, object manipulation, hula hoops, and even a couple of aerial acts. There's a little bit of audience participation, but don't worry, it's not embarrassing, just chaotic fun. We're really looking forward to bringing the show to New Zealand, because I believe Kiwis have such a fabulous culture. I've often said that New Zealanders are actually what America thinks Australians are: funny, laid-back, clever and inclusive. So we're really looking forward to this tour.

How long have you been working on this show?
It was commissioned by the Sydney Opera House and premiered there in the summer of 2016/17. It's such a stunning building. However, in some ways the members of the cast have been working on their parts of this show for many years, because each of them bring physical skills and routines that are written in their bodies, whether it's a rope act without a net, hanging from one hand high above the stage, or a hand-stand act balancing your whole body on one hand.

Has it changed and evolved along the way?

I like to work with performers who are highly creative and collaborative. We evolve and adjust the show almost every time we perform it, so yes it has definitely evolved. Mostly we like to see if we can find more playful moments and ways to crack ourselves and the audience up.

Which characters from Alice in Wonderland can we expect to see?

Well, obviously the Mad Hatter herself. The Red Queen, The March Hare, The Caterpillar (and his alter ego), The Cheshire Cat, Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dummer, and we decided that one of the Flamingos had to actually be a star of the show. Plus The White Rabbit who, because they have such an obsession with time, is also our stage manager.

Why is Alice in Wonderland such an enduring classic? How is it that it remains relevant in 2018?

In some ways the work of Lewis Carroll (aka Charles Dodgson) has been honoured and celebrated so many times in so many different ways, and the literature itself is so enshrined, that we felt okay about finding playful ways to subvert it. The original story by Dodgson was actually improvised and told to children purely for their amusement, so I think our playful interpretation is absolutely in the spirit in which Lewis Carroll imagined it. I believe it's an enduring classic because it's like a dream-scape, a nonsensical series of adventures that tap into the subconscious. It works for all ages, and reminds us to be playful and ridiculous.

How has the show's run in Sydney gone?

The show has been a great success from Sydney to Melbourne to Brisbane, in fact wherever we've played. We find that it connects with audiences of all ages. There cheekiness, physical skills and the jokes work at all different levels, so adults can be laughing at things, along with the kids and they're all getting different angles.

Have there been any unexpected moments, things you can't plan for?

All the performers are really experienced and they actually love the excitement of live performance where unexpected things can happen. Parts of the show literally have members of the audience sitting right there at the Tea Party table, so we often have fun unexpected moments. From the start I wanted to create some genuine chaos too, so there's a moment in the show where a friendly riot breaks out right across the audience. I won't give it away, but every night is unexpected. One show we actually had about 30 kids standing on the table who pretty much refused to get off they were having so much fun.

• Mad Hatter's Tea Party is running from December 19-23 at Auckland's Bruce Mason Centre.