The classic tale of the wooden puppet Pinocchio who brought to life to become a real boy is this year’s magical Christmas show at The Old Rep Theatre in Birmingham.
Every year The Old Rep fill their theatre with a fun, festival family show and this year is the best yet. Regular actor in the Old Rep’s Christmas show Alec Fellows-Bennett has turned his hand to directing this year and it proves to be a huge success. The characters are bursting with expression to create a colourful performance packed with energy.
Holly Sayer leads the cast as young Pinocchio and her sincerity is compelling to watch. She brings such joy to the part as she embarks on many adventures, learning important life lessons along the way. Her relationship with her father Geppetto (Ralph Birtwell) is beautiful as their fondness of each other is charming to watch unfold. Birtwell brings passion to the role with his gentle tenderness towards Pinocchio.
Bringing fantastic humour to the production, Daisy Ann Fletcher’s performance is a masterpiece as she commands the stage with her natural comedy timing. Making an entrance into each scene with a different costume, she effortlessly creates a lot of laughs with her witty lines. She brings a whole lot of sparkle to the production – in more ways than one.
Martin Bassindale brings immense versatility to the stage as he stars as both the manipulative Fox and the sassy Candlewick whose snappy attitude is brilliantly funny. David Alwyn gives an animated performance as the highly theatrical Mangiafuoco and the evil Little Man. The ensemble of students from Birmingham Ormiston Academy provide extraordinary energy in the performance.
Writer Toby Hulse has done a truly sensational job capturing the spirit of the story through slick writing and dynamic songs. Paired with Mila Sanders’ magnificent set and costume design, the vibrant colours create a production oozing with magic. It’s an enchanting show for all ages and the perfect introduction to theatre for the little ones this Christmas.
Pinocchio is on at The Old Rep Theatre in Birmingham until the 30th of December, tickets and information can be found on their website.
