Pinocchio - National Theatre

I'd guess a number of the illusions depend on there being a black background. In particular, the moments where the Blue Fairy appears out of nowhere would be very difficult to accomplish without a black backdrop. Also, some of the smallest effects, like the restoration of the burned finger, wouldn't show up against a painted backdrop.

The joy of Walt Disney, even for some of us adults, is that it transports us to a magical world. It’s a place that even as children we knew didn’t really exist, with high turreted fairy-tale castles, cobbled squares in Alpine villages, and dark and spooky woods where the trees might be real. But we loved its unique sense of charm which has now been replicated in theme parks (and which some of us have visited numerous times just to rediscover the children in us!)

So when it was announced that the NT were going to have a bash at Pinocchio, one of Walt’s earliest animation features -almost eighty years young- I leapt at the chance to get my tickets. Even the poster had promise…!

Theatre-going, I have come to learn, is all about managing expectations. And quite a few of my expectations take shape after reading reviews on here. The first couple of comments seemed to suggest that this wasn’t quite hitting the mark; there was talk of missed opportunities. So I went along with an open mind.

Oh dear…

The first sight of the black box, never to disappear, had me thinking how proud Hal Prince would be; but where it worked for Evita it fails miserably here. Disney animators create screens where there is never a dull moment- the fish in its bowl, the naughty cat, the lively cuckoo clocks… On stage the dullness is almost palpable. Giant step ladders create some semblance of the mountains, they support Geppetto’s worktop, and they're trees in the wood. But we are never allowed to escape that big black box where, with the exception of some stage tricks, very little magic actually happens.

The early production photographs showing puppets in their various guises had got me thinking they were up to something clever here. But no… The huge one-faced creations, a design gaffe if ever there was one, operated by a team of expressionless puppeteers trying to breathe some sort of life into them, had me wondering just who I was meant to be looking at. I’d love to have been there when they were watching the first run-through: “The puppets just aren’t working are they…?”/ “No. But we’ve got no option now but to run with them…”

There is one misfire after another. The Blue Fairy, devoid of grace, wafts in and out looking a dead ringer for Judi Dench as Lady Macbeth. I couldn’t help thinking that Lampwick (now ‘Lampy’) is played with a nod to Janette Krankie. Not even the talented Audrey Brisson could do much with a cricket that looks like… a cricket. (I missed YOU, Jiminy!) The villains are another hotch-potch which just don’t work. It’s all a bit Trendy Nash, losing sight of its audience. And from the audience’s reaction it was unclear who this was aimed at - youngsters around us watched but were more intent on their interval ice-creams than the Strange Topless Boy in the Yellow Shorts’ plight as he was caught in a cage; some Dads guffawed loudly as most of the jokes landed on their arses, as if to affirm, “You see? I’ve brought you to the theatre AND I’m having a good time!”

I kept thinking what the point of all this had been- if they fancied having a crack at Pinocchio, why not do it? But minus the Disney songs mention, the only bit of Disney they’d left in it. Because unless you try to recreate the magic of Cliff Edwards and the Disney chorus (they don’t) then you might just as well not bother.

We ended with The Lessons we’ve learned. It was something to do with experiencing pain making us human. Mmmm. Another lesson that was painfully obvious to me was to leave something perfect well alone.

And while we’re on something losing its magic, what on earth has happened to our National Theatre? It’s like some sprawling fringe venue with its threadbare carpets, its lifeless displays, its litter strewn tables and the stink of food everywhere you go.

Not the best evening in the theatre.

Good advice. Was looking for the matinee so tonight’s out. Thanks for replying.

Also, I had completely forgotten how uncomfortable the seats are in the Lyttleton.

I saw this at the final matinee yesterday, having previously seen this early in previews.

For the matinee, I got a front row day seat (online), right at the side, which I think is a good place to sit if you're attending on your own. There are no armrests in the front row and the seats are packed closely together, so you can end up very cosy with the seat neighbours otherwise.

This has changed a lot from the previews, making it a stronger show. Lots of cuts so this was a few minutes shorter and some additional music added (mostly the original songs with new lyrics).

I can't be certain I've got these right as it's a few months since I saw the preview, but some things I noticed:

Little Wooden Head moved to the first half, filling the long period without any songs. No longer sung in the second half at all.

Pleasure Island sequence trimmed (thankfully). Some smoking in this sequence, which I don't recall previously.

Lots of trims to the Fox's dialogue, in particular the political jokes.

The whale sequence looked to have been simplified and I'm sure it had a coloured backdrop before. It looked less impressive from the front than further back.

I don't know if this will tour, but the set looks designed to tour and I could see it having a Christmas run somewhere. And Joe Idris-Roberts was as charming in the Pinocchio role as before.

Fair enough, I was sat at the back in the slip seats the previous time, so am sure I missed things.

With that said, the whale sequence definitely looked more impressive further back (and the wires weren't so obvious).

In hindsight, I may well have been thinking about the magic carpet scene from Aladdin rather than comparing with the previous whale section.

It was running for the best part of 4 months

I am unsure how people miss things

For anyone interested, here is a 52-minute talk from Toby Olié, Audrey Brisson and James Charlton about how they developed the Jiminy Cricket puppet, with a bit of talk about the other puppets.