Pinocchio At Theatre By The Lake, Keswick Review

Reviewed by Jo Hardy

When I was invited to review Pinocchio at Theatre by the Lake I thought what a great opportunity to take the three year old in our family to her first live theatre production. Although she’d never been to a theatre before she was very excited. When we got to the theatre we were offered the use of a booster seat which was very good idea so that little ones that may get seated behind an adult could still get a good view of the stage.

When we got settled into our seats we got a full view of the stage already set which I think adds to the anticipation of the show and sets off the imagination.  While waiting for the show to start we had fun talking about what we could see and then we’re taken completely by surprise when the three cast members made their entrance from a side door amongst the seating.  When the show started it emerged that the set we had been looking at was a large table in an abandoned house but throughout the performance the same set pieces were separated, turned on their side or upside down to form many other things.

The three cast members gave a very energetic performance, with live music and lots of comedy.  They interacted with the audience well and it was lovely to hear the children in the audience squeal with joy.  There were some puppets in the production too. Personally I would of liked them to be a bit bigger as I thought they didn’t have enough impact in the show and I couldn’t see the detail properly.

The only production of Pinocchio that I can ever remember seeing is the the Disney version and this production was very different to that, although the basic elements of the story were there some extra pieces had been added.  My favourite one of these was the scene where Pinocchio was in bed and feeling poorly.  He wouldn’t take his medicine so the “bed rabbits’ were sent to him.  These were fluffy black puppet rabbits who ran around under and over the bed sheets until Pinocchio agreed to have his medicine.

The show runs for one hour with no interval.  It was the perfect length for my three year old companion. She was just starting to get a bit fidgety in the last 10 minutes. Tickets were £12 for an adult and £10 for children and it was a great way to spend a wild wet afternoon in the half term holidays.  The verdict from my young companion when the show was over “can we come again next week?“.

Presented by “Stuff and Nonsense” theatre company, the show I saw today was the final one to be shown at theatre by the lake but the company are constantly touring the country with this and other shows.  Search for them online aloadofstuffandnonsense.co.uk to see the tour dates and find a production close to you or like their Facebook page.
Theatre by the lake also have a full programme of events and shows for this year on their web site.

Rating: 4/5

Tickets To see Pinocchio cost £12 for an adult and £10 for children

For more information about what’s on at Theatre By The Lake in Keswick or to book tickets to see a show there, please visit www.theatrebythelake.com or phone the box office on 01768 774411