Lewis Carroll's "The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland" is the whimsical story of a curious girl who tumbles down a rabbit hole into an enchanted world populated by strange creatures. It was first published in 1865, with illustrations by John Tenniel, and has never been out of print. It continues to influence the fantasy genre and inspire film, TV adaptations, and countless ballets.

In California Ballet's production of "Alice in Wonderland" last weekend at the Balboa Theatre, the company incorporated Tenniel's original Victorian illustrations, a composite score by six composers such as Joseph Strauss and Gioacchino Rossini, and the imaginative choreography of the late Charles Bennett. The combination offered a ballet that is close to Carroll's story.

The company also added voices, which was a plus in many ways, but surely a distraction for ballet purists. All of the characters had voices with British accents, so the dancers didn't have to rely on pantomime, the usual ballet approach. The lip-syncing did seem strange at times, a sort of ballet cartoon when the lips and sound didn't quite match up. And the sound quality seemed over-modulated, almost too loud in rows close to the stage. But the mass of children in the audience on Sunday afternoon, including my teenaged companion, thought it was splendid.

The narrator recited exact lines from the book to set the opening scene with Alice and her sister lounging in a garden. "Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do…when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her…"Alice gave chase, saw the rabbit pop into a hole (a swinging door in a hedge), and the dreamy adventure began.

Cassandra Lund was well cast as the courageous and logical Alice who chased after the elusive White Rabbit, danced by Hugo Carreon. They didn't spend much time dancing together, as Alice was always on the go.

A simple special effect - having an Alice doll slide down a giant slide of Tenniel's rabbit hole illustration - was a clever and humorous way to Wonderland. The "drink me, eat me" scene was a memorable illusion thanks to quick moving sets by Alan Madsen. Alice became a giant, a very tall dancer replaced her, and the door and table shifted to a smaller size. The door and table shifted again to a giant size, and a tiny dancer popped in.

"'…I never was so small as this before, never!'" she declared, and as she said those words, her foot slipped and in another moment, splash!" Blue fabric stretched across the stage, watery lighting, and hidden rolling carts created the illusion of Alice swimming back and forth with a lobster, mouse and the Rabbit. She went back and forth with legs kicking and arms flailing, and you couldn't hear the narration over the squeals in the theatre.

The Flowers - five varieties - were gruff and outspoken in their ruffled collars and brilliant colors. Lund was captivating as she inspected them and finally danced with them in a circle.

Not all of Carroll's characters appeared in this ballet, most notably absent was the Cheshire Cat, but there were many favorites. The Caterpillar was played by four flexible youths who crouched down and stayed linked end-to-end to retain a long shape; they did a syncopated little dance for 16 hands and feet. The Red Queen (Elizabeth Fields-Martinez) was pompous and had a sour- puss face that looked like it hurt. She wore a very stiff costume, and accordingly, her duet with the White Rabbit was also stiff.

The Mad Hatter (Oscar Burciaga) and a very plump March Hare (Jenny Baron) were effectively crazed. They scrambled over a table and fiddled with teacups, and finally dipped a mouse, played by the most adorable tot, into a giant teapot.

Tweedle Dee (Rebecca Correia) and Tweedle Dum (Jenny Boo Asseff) were a fashion faux pas times two. Dressed in high waist pants stuffed with belly padding, they were joined at the hip until they joined Alice in knee-pops, chicken neck head bobs, and belly bucking. Their roles required the most lip-syncing, and for the most part, they did Okay. But what if they just danced along without moving their lips? We'd still hear the voices, and wouldn't be distracted by their big mouths trying to keep up.

A sequence for the Carpenter and Walrus included a long poem, which for this antsy crowd was an eternity. Still, it was a way for the company to feature tiny students dressed as walking Oysters.

My personal favorite scene was the pig juggling with Samantha Knobloch as the disheveled Duchess and Miki Batchman as the crazy Cook. Knobloch was in constant motion while seated on a rolling chair, and her crooked lipstick added to her madcap demeanor. Lund jumped into the fray to save the "baby," and the trio's tossing and timing were solid.

The Cards (all children) avoided the Executioner and his ax, and their line dance of turning front to back and stepping forward and back was visually engaging. The finale was a swirl of characters circling, Cards on the sides, and lines of dancers coming forward and back through the center. Lund performed perfect pique turns at a dizzying speed, and woke up in the garden with her sister.

This production of "Alice" was fun and colorful, and slightly demented, and very contemporary, which was in tune with Carroll's story. Hearing the Queen shout "Off with her head!" may have been too much for very small children, but this tale is really tame compared to a lot of popular shows and movies.

The company also performed "Giuliani Variations," an airy ensemble choreographed by Thor Sutowski. Dressed in soft blue, Jennifer Curry led a corps of 10 and four principals (Kristie Cordle Infante, Chie Kudo, Pablo Infante, and Vitaliy Nechay). Pablo Infante was most expressive in Latin styled turns with his arm up. Nechay also embraced the guitar rhythms with musicality. The troupe offered several good duets, lively beats of feet, and created symmetrical floor patterns that changed ever so gently. With bodies moving in soft shades of blue and white, the work was very peaceful, yet expressive. Without a narrative, it added necessary balance to the "Alice" program.

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California Ballet's season continues with "The Nutcracker" on Dec. 12, 2009.