This new Pinocchio musical is a patchy affair which still manages to be infectious enough to bring plenty of Christmas cheer, thanks to the gusto of its performances and home-made design flair.
Directed by Sean Holmes, with book and lyrics by Charlie Josephine and music and lyrics by Jim Fortune, its particular take is to return to the episodic nature of the original serial by Carlo Collodi, while also heightening the idea of Geppetto (an excellent Nick Holder) struggling with new fatherhood. Here the woodcarver/inventor resists being papa to his creation due to masculine self-consciousness instead of listening to his heart; Pinocchio’s lonely travels start after Geppetto, listening to the conservative townsfolk, decides he’s being too weak in his approach to the trouble-making puppet and sends him off to school with some regrettably harsh words.
