There is a compere cum talking cricket and an arch, blue-haired fairy, along with topical references to the news and singalongs aplenty. In other words this is Pinocchio as panto for youngsters, beginning with a fluffing up of the audience before the young hero (Dylan Collymore) is forged from wood by impoverished carpenter Geppetto (Tok Morakinyo).
The script whizzes through – and simplifies – the plot’s numerous turns, from Pinocchio’s encounter with a threatening puppet-master and his scrapes with the conniving Sly Fox (Rushand Chambers) and Miss Kat (Jhanaica Van Mook), to time in the doghouse, then in the belly of a shark, and more.
Krik Krak the cricket (Nicole Louise Lewis) and the Blue Rinse Fairy (Michael Bertenshaw) are part of the drama but step outside it, for fun and games, to talk directly to the audience. “When I say ‘Krik’, you say ‘Krak,’” says Krik Krak, and we do so, in rap-like rhythm.
There are some nice innovations, including a sweet scene leading to the birth of Pinocchio and a surprise twist in the figure of the ageing Blue Rinse Fairy, who talks about brain fog and is not all she seems. But the mendacious wooden puppet’s quest to become human is, in all honesty, too much like children’s entertainment to carry cross-generational appeal.
Under the direction of Omar F Okai, the swerves into audience participation feel like pauses, slowing the flow of the story, especially in the first half. Trish Cooke’s script is clear, simple and emphatically basic, with instructive lessons for children, moral or otherwise, pointed out and summarised repeatedly.
The plinky incidental sound and Stewart J Charlesworth’s luminous set, with its riot of colour, are sometimes reminiscent of an arcade game – and instead of planting his five gold coins, Pinocchio even loses them in a slot machine. The production is winning with its songs though, which are quickly catchy. The music by Robert Hyman, and lyrics by Hyman and Cook, comprise an exuberant blend of reggae, soca, disco, soul and funk. Collymore’s Pinocchio is a mischievous charmer who busts some good moves and sings his heart out. The rest of the cast are as spirited. While it may not grip the adults as much as the children, it exudes festive warmth.
• At Theatre Royal Stratford East, London, until 4 January
