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Pinocchio perfection
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[Manuel Harlan]
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GAVIN O’TOOLE welcomes a bold feminist subversion of classic folktales that are ubiquitous in the Irish imagination
Pinocchio
National Theatre, London
BEAUTIFULLY wrought, and spellbinding in its execution, this Pinocchio reverses expectations.
In this version by Dennis Kelly, Pinocchio is played by a real person and some of the human characters, including Pinocchio’s father Geppetto, are represented by huge-headed puppets, each crafted in the spitting image of the actor who holds them aloft and gives them voice.
It’s a clever trick that allows the audience to focus interchangeably on either the puppet or its human embodiment with no loss of effect or drama.
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