Pinocchio - Strangeface

 Masks, Music and More...
A definite night to remember!

Morning blog readers, lovers, haters and everyone in between! 

I saw another play on Friday and I cannot help but feel compelled to tell you all about it! 

Strangeface hast to be one of my favourite companies (EVER!) First I knew of them was on a school trip to the Trinity in Tunbridge Wells to see "A Rakes Progress". Initially their half masks made me uneasy and I was cautiously judging how much I would enjoy the production. However I soon fell head over heels for their energetic, somewhat creepy and totally brilliant performance. Through puppetry, song, masks and an amazing composer I was totally won over.

It wasn't for a few months that I heard about "Pinocchio" to be performed at the Stables in Milton Keynes over Christmas 2011. For weeks I painstakingly researched trains, buses and finally ended up begging my parents to take me (They said no). So unable to find a suitable solution I gave up and resorted to watching video's on youtube and reading other people's reviews. 

So a few weeks ago when my boyfriend's mum suggested I accompanied them to see a show at a local primary school I couldn't believe it when she handed me the leaflet. I knew instantly from from masks on the front that this was the very play I was desperate to see. 

So on Friday the 27th I walked into a primary school hall to see Pinocchio. The set was very much the typical Strangeface construction, made up to look like houses in a town with movable sections to create various scenes and tiny opening windows which are used during the performance as the homes of very grumpy hand puppets! (Who are actually a little scary)

The play began with the chorus, made up of 4 characters, milling around interacting with the audience. When I say interacting what I mean is chatting and joking with the younger members of the audience and flirting with the adults (Specifically my boyfriend). By breaking the fourth wall they had us in the palms of their hands, from that moment on we were totally absorbed in the story and completely without a doubt believed each of the characters were as real as we were. Despite their strange looking faces! 

A great personal highlight for me was the cast. 

The first name I recognised was Sarah Mardel, and ex-wok student whom presented the awards at the upper school reward ceremony in 2010. During the ceremony I was presented the Year 12 Drama Award and so was fortunate enough to speak to Sarah briefly afterwards. Needless to say she was completely inspiring and proved to me that with a bit of hard work it is possibly for a Weald girl to become a successful actor.! Therefore it was a real treat to see her perform as the title role "Pinocchio". (It's no wonder she won the Drama Cup) her performance was captivating and as an audience we truly believed in Pinocchio's conflict between wanting to make Geppetto proud and wanting to just enjoy his life without school.

The second name to catch my eye was Samuel Davies, whose name I recognised from "A Rakes Progress". It's a Strangeface tradition that at the end of the play they allow the audience onto the stage to talk to the actors and try on the masks. I had the pleasure to speak to Samuel after "A Rakes Progress" and it was him and composer Mark Dean who really made me see how wonderful Strangeface is. There are many companies who do a performance, receive their applause and then slink backstage without a second glance yet Strangeface really care about inspiring their audience. Samuel and Mark happily stood and chatted to me for a good 10 minutes answering my hundreds of question about life in the theatre, the company itself and the every present Uni vs Drama School debate! I had loved his performance in "A Rakes Progress" and I loved it even more in Pinocchio! Signor Cherry had me in hysterics with his green wellies and stupid argument with Gepetto over the magic log. (To put it in context for you, the magic driftwood was calling Signor Cherry names behind his back and Cherry believed it to be Geppetto to the point that they ended up on the floor panting for breathe to come to the conclusion that the whole thing was just a dream)

Unknown to me at the time I was also watching another of my all-time favourites, the artistic director of Slingshot Theatre Company, who play "The Zanniskinheads and the quest for the golden balls" I saw at Sevenoaks school. It was one of the absolute strangest yet most hysterically funny plays I have ever seen! In that he played Peenut, quite a hard character and so it was nice to see him playing the sweet Geppetto in Pinocchio. His role as Gepetto had me teary-eyed for the majority, his despair and pride in Pinocchio wonderfully conveyed. Which was offset by his hysterical performance with Samuel Davies and the two spirit doctors whose song still has not left my head!

Last but not least Roxanne Palmer whom routinely embarrassed Kieran (My boyfriend) through out the performance, my to the audiences amusement. With her 5 roles she has me in hysterics from the rough Lampwick who swaggered around the stage steeling buns with Pinocchio before turning into a tap dancing Ass! (I apologise for the language) to the wonderful Cat a role in which she had to act seductive and mean both at  the same time, which with wearing one mask seem like a hard task however Roxanne pulled it off perfectly creating a wonderful portrayal of the character.

Overall the cast of four played around 16 characters, not including hand puppets, each to perfection.

As a whole performance I couldn't have been more impressed, they had me laughing at the spirit doctors and their made-up symptoms and tearing up at Geppetto and Pinocchio's reunion inside the belly of the beast. The technical aspect including lighting, set and of course the music really brought the play to life making it an all-round success!

So if you do get the change go and see a Strangeface production as they are by far one of the most original and captivating companies of our time!!!!

So there you have it blog readers! Check out their website, facebook and The Stables' Youtube to see exactly what I mean when I say just how wonderful they are!
xox
HarrietCorey