The Adventures of Pinocchio runs at Belfast’s Grand Opera House until January 11
Watching your child in stitches over toilet humour and slapstick comedy while chanting ‘Oh no he’s not’ – it must be panto season.
And when it comes to all the essential elements of a good pantomime, the Grand Opera House delivered that and more.
I love going to the theatre, so being able to share a trip with our son was a real treat. We’ve only been once before when he was in pre-school but now he is the perfect age to enjoy all the fun on stage.
Settling into our seats at the Grand Opera House our eyes were immediately drawn to the set which was gorgeous, a huge frame structure with beautifully carved toys on top.
In big colourful letters the words Pinocchio were suspended in mid-air. The stage was set for a fun two hours ahead.
Opening the show were the talented ensemble cast (dressed as toys this time) with the Blue Faerie (played by Jayme-Lee Zanoncelli), setting the scene for our panto tale – the puppet who became a real boy, all with a Belfast twist of course.
It is incredible what they can do to make magic seem real on stage, bringing a giant book on to introduce us to the story. I won’t spoil the magic but I just love the creativity that goes into putting these shows together.
A special shoutout must go to the costume department because firstly the number of outfit changes is impressive but secondly they are just stunning. Each one even more dazzling than the last and for a panto you need over the top designs, sequins and plenty of feathers and showstopping pieces.
Speaking of showstopping, the way they created Pinocchio’s growing nose when he told a lie was both hilarious and impressive.
The cast bounced off each other very well and as my son said to me within the first 15 minutes, “they must have done loads of rehearsals for this”.
Taking to the stage for her 35th year is the icon that is May McFettridge and this year she is May Geppetto who runs a toy shop and made her own son in the form of Pinocchio.
There is no doubt of May’s talent on stage and it wouldn’t be a panto at the Grand Opera House without her. She is a dab hand at getting the audience on side quickly, making witty gibes at those sitting too close to the front and carrying the show.
Her partnership with Paddy Jenkins as Jiminy Cricket is wonderful as both work so well together on stage and had my son doubled over laughing in one of the scenes as they kept winding up villian The Great Stromboli (Jolene O’Hara).
Adam C Booth was a very cheeky Pinocchio and was great with the one liners and definitely was behind some of my son’s favourite scenes. Needless to say these included toilet humour and funny voices.
One of the most mesmorising moments is when Pinocchio’s toy plane flies over the audience and even flips Booth upside down. My son was in complete awe of this and is still convinced it was all real magic.
But the show isn’t just great for the younger members of the audience, there’s definitely a lot of humour in there for adults as well, so if you are heading along with the kids, don’t worry you will be laughing along as well.
The whole cast were superb and I must give mention to Jolene O’Hara for her portrayal of The Great Stromboli, she played the wicked character perfectly, and she must be enjoying it as it is her fourth year taking on the villian role. Although I would have loved to hear her singing more as I know from previous productions how talented she is.
So if you manage to get your hands on some tickets, then you are in for a treat. The perfect mix of slapstick humour with a little sprinkle of magic.
The Adventures of Pinocchio runs at Belfast’s Grand Opera House until January 11.
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