Pinocchio

Welcome to the fantastical – and dark – world of Pinocchio. Playing at La Mama Courthouse till Sunday, 26 May, the show is an epic adventure of danger, villainy and excitement. This unique adaptation draws on the tradition of Italian Commedia dell’Arte with expressive masks and puppetry.

As we all know, Pinocchio is the little wooden puppet carved from a simple block of wood by the carpenter Geppetto. He wants to become a real boy but has a tendency to make poor life choices and putting his faith in shady characters.

This production, produced by Make A Scene Theatre Arts Education as part of the 2019 VCE Drama Playlist, is directed by Christian Bagin and stars the very talented Jasper Foley. Despite a multitude of characters, this play is a one-man show. Foley seamlessly – and often comically – switches between each character using costumes, puppet and sometimes, a little help from the audience.

“You can talk to me!” announces Foley in his narrator character. Commedia dell’Arte is a mix of scripted and improvised performance. One of its characteristics is pantomime. If you have never been to a pantomime before, it can leave you feeling a little uneasy when audience members boldly interact with performance. I for one, can never get used to it and it always leaves me feeling a bit uncomfortable. Fear not though, this isn’t as full on as a pantomime usually is.

The set is simple, a classic puppet theatre that cleverly transforms to set the scene. Foley draws on witty storytelling, crass jokes and very impressive physical comedy to tell a highly entertaining tale.

Pinocchio
Till Sunday, 26 May 2019,
La Mama Courthouse, 349 Drummond Street, Carlton
lamama.com.au/2019-summer-autumn-program/pinocchio