Theatre News

A new take on an old story in Suffolk this Christmas

Anne Morley-Priestman

What to stage at Christmas? It’s a perennial problem for smaller-scale theatre companies in rural areas. The major regional playhouses either mount their own pantomimes or other seasonally-themed productions, or “buy in” one of the block-buster pantos from the commercial production companies which specialise in mounting such lavish shows.

East Anglia’s Common Ground has found its own solution with a version of Carlo Collodi’s 19th century story for children – Pinocchio. Forget Disneyfications and think original, though with a new framing story concerning a family of acrobats. Collodi’s animal characters take pride of place, along with a Julian Harries–Pat Whymark highly topical addition – the megalomaniac media mogul Signor Mozzarelli (now, who could he possibly remind you of?)

Both Whymark and Harries have been involved in past Christmas shows for Ipswich-based Eastern Angles, and there were be a flavour of these as well as something of the darkness which underpins all folk tales, however bowdlerised for young children these have become in their more modern versions. It’s the first time that Common Ground has toured a Christmas show – Woodbridge (13-17 December), Framlingham (20-24 December) and Aldeburgh (27-31 December) are the confirmed dates so far.