That darkness comes from several directions. The narrative cleaves closely to the moral instruction of a fable so Pinocchio's struggle with the dark side is presented as a straight-up choice between good and evil - make the wrong choice in dealing with the Fox or the Coachman and things could end up pretty grim, as we witness in a particularly brutal bit of puppet mutilation (it shocked even me!).
And staging-wise, the choice to use giant-sized heads to represent key figures like that Coachman or Pinocchio's creator Geppetto adds a looming, sinister tone to the atmosphere which never really seems to settle. For if Kelly and Tiffany had been allowed to make this a version of Carlo Collodi's original, they'd've probably nailed it but this is, however, a Disney co-production and so we're treated to those famous songs interpolated through the score.
It's hard to find a place here for the likes of 'Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee (An Actor's Life For Me)' and the desperately old-fashioned 'When You Wish Upon A Star' though and there's a rare lack of conviction from movement director Steven Hoggett in terms of how they're dealt with visually. The result is a tone that feels confused and thus rarely truly engaging, though I must say the children sat near to me seemed to enjoy themselves.
And there are plenty of bright spots. Audrey Brisson is the stand-out performer as a modern-inflected Jiminy Cricket (curiously the only character to receive such treatment), Jamie Harrison's illusion work is suitably spell-binding and for all its strangeness, Joe Idris-Roberts' wooden boy traces an affecting journey into hug-loving humanity. If not quite a festive smash-out-of-the-park hit, this Pinocchio still offers a unique, faintly creepy brand of entertainment.
Running time: 2 hours 25 minutes (with interval)
Photos: Manuel Harlan
Booking until 10th April
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