Viva Vertical Takes Aerial Arts to the Theatre Stage With Alice Lost in Wonderland

Aerial performances in Malaysia are still fairly niche, but Viva Vertical has spent the last 20 years making them more visible, first as a form of training and then as a legitimate performance practice. Through its Viva Circus productions, the studio has gradually built a platform where aerial artists can move from class to stage.

Alice Lost in Wonderland, staged at PJPAC as part of Viva Circus Festival 2026, is the latest example of that shift. What audiences get isn’t a neat retelling of Alice in Wonderland, but an abstract, movement-driven take on being lost, growing up and figuring things out, told almost entirely through aerial performance.

Less dialogue, more feeling

One of the first things you notice is the size of the cast. With over 60 performers on stage, the production feels lively and full almost all the time. The cast includes experienced Viva Circus performers as well as newer talent, many of whom started out as Viva Vertical students.

If you’re expecting a clear narrative with familiar characters and plot points, Alice Lost in Wonderland doesn’t really work that way. Directed by Noah Yap, who also performs in the show, it leans more into mood and emotional beats than storytelling via speech.

Image Credit: Viva Vertical

That said, the few spoken monologue moments, delivered in Mandarin, can feel slightly distancing for parts of the local audience. While the intent and emotion come across through performance, a monologue in English or Bahasa Malaysia might have made the ideas more accessible, especially in a theatre setting aimed at a broad Malaysian audience.

A visual treat

Beyond the aerial work, the production makes strong use of props and onstage screens to guide the storytelling. Projected visuals help set locations and moods, giving the audience clearer context as the show moves between scenes. Rather than distracting from the action, the screens work alongside the performers, supporting the emotional shift of each segment and filling in narrative gaps without the need for dialogue. The use of physical props is similarly controlled, adding texture to the stage while keeping the focus on movement and performance.

Image Credit: Viva Vertical

Visually, Alice Lost in Wonderland is anything but simple. The costumes are elaborate and detailed, with layered fabrics and structured designs that give each character a distinct presence on stage. Watching the performers execute demanding aerial sequences while wearing such intricate outfits often makes us wonder how they manage it so effortlessly.

A showcase of what Viva Vertical is about

Seen in the wider context of Viva Circus Festival 2026, Alice Lost in Wonderland works as a clear statement of what Viva Vertical represents after 20 years: aerial arts as both discipline and creative expression, grounded in training, mentorship and a strong sense of community.

Image Credit: Viva Vertical

This isn’t circus purely for spectacle. It’s about bringing studio-trained aerial performers into a proper theatre setting and showing how this form can translate effectively on stage. It’s the kind of production that highlights the potential of aerial arts beyond the studio, and it’s encouraging to see it given space on a major stage. 

One can only hope there will be more opportunities like this in the future, both for Viva Vertical and for the wider aerial performance scene in Malaysia.

Featured Image Credit: Viva Vertical