What a brilliant idea – Leeds City College Creative Arts Department deserve credit for having the imagination to set Lewis Carroll's masterpiece, Alice In Wonderland in the sumptuous grounds of Castle Howard, as they lend themselves so fittingly to the story.

Exquisitely beautiful and unmistakeably British, the production brought Alice to life for the attending children and provided a feast of the senses for the adults accompanying them.

It is rare that set pieces take centre stage, but the backstage team at LCC deserve special praise for the lavish sets and props used in the production. They were astonishing in their quality, creativity and attention to detail shining through each scene, from the giant mushroom, through to the flamingo mallets and whizzing hedgehogs, which elicited laughter and delight from audience members, young and old.

Directors Vivienne Razavilar and Abigail Bailey made the bold decision to shepherd the audience from scene to scene, making full use of the beautiful grounds, a decision that paid off in most instances – for example, we sat in an actual rose garden during the famous garden scene, where the cards painted the roses red in order to please the capricious Queen in the hope of protecting their heads. However, there were points when the open air setting diluted the power of the acting, making it difficult to follow the fanciful dialogue. Some scenes made less impact than others, and seemed to have been lost in the shuffle. These felt superfluous and probably could be excised in order to give the production some of the compactness it lacked.

Alice, played by Ellis Mahon, grew in stature and authority as she encountered the contrary, maddening characters of Wonderland. Another standout performance was Stephen Astall, as the Mad Hatter. Seething with exuberant, kinetic energy, he was in complete command of the chaos of his tea party, without a doubt the best bit of the production, as he sparred with Alice, challenging her reason with nonsensical language that succeeded in sounded as if it might just be right – an intelligent interpretation of the famous scene.

Alice in Wonderland is a spectacular effort from the students at Leeds City College and deserves to be seen and enjoyed, as it serves as a magical introduction to theatre for children and a joyful reworking of a well-loved classic for adults, set in some of the most beautiful grounds England has to offer.

Alice, Park Lane Stage Company, Castle Howard, performances every day until May 31. For ticket details, phone 07762 159163 or 01653 648623 Review by Catherine Markus