Theater review: ‘Pinocchio’: Through the eyes of a child

Confession: I never paid much attention to Pinocchio. I grew up with three sisters, so we were all about the damsel in distress drama—Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White. Alice in Wonderland was already a bit of a stretch for us, and we only bothered going over her story because, well, who can resist such a wonderfully creepy cast of characters?!

 

And so when I went to watch Repertory Philippines’ adaptation of "Pinocchio" with my five-year-old granddaughter Sophie, it was as if I was seeing the tale for the first time.

 

Many know the story: a lonely old man who dreams of having a son carves out a wooden puppet. Along comes a fairy who grants the old man’s wish and the wooden puppet Pinocchio magically comes to life. Naive to the ways of the world, Pinocchio finds himself in all sorts of adventures instigated by mischievous fiends. In the end, love and faith conquer all, and the puppet that is Pinocchio turns into a living, breathing boy, giving warmth and joy to the loving Gepetto. It all sounds corny and trite, but in the masterful hands of Joy Virata and Baby Barredo, this little fairy tale becomes a fun, witty, and entertaining story.

 

Setting the tone is the hearty “Buon giorno!” welcome by Arnel Carreon, who plays Antonio, Gepetto’s friend and the evening’s narrator. Unlike most productions wherein the audience is expected to sit in silence, Pinocchio encourages interaction. Carreon exhorts everyone to sing a simple melody with him, instantly putting a smile on everybody’s faces. Sophie was particularly happy that she learned a new song—and in Italian, at that!

 

Several other scenes would cause a most visceral reaction from the audience, a good number of whom were children. When Liesl Batucan made her first appearance as the Blue Fairy, she was magnificent, swaying this way and that, waving her wand in the daintiest of manner. It wasn’t surprising when Sophie told me right there and then that she wanted to be the Blue Fairy. Interestingly, Batucan played Pinocchio when Repertory Philippines first mounted the production ten years ago.

 

When Bituin Escalante walked in as the Coachman, I actually got scared—seriously! Though she said but a few lines, her malevolent energy reverberated across the stage. Sophie gasped out: “I hate her. That girl is so evil!”

 

Fortunately, we found some comic relief when the Fox and the Cat came rolling in. Chino Veguillas (Fox) and Jef Flores (Cat) were just delightful, playfully wagging their tails, singing and dancing as they duped poor Pinocchio out his silver. Everybody laughed and truth be told, I wished their roles were longer. (Another confession: Sophie and I had our picture taken with these two fellows after the production.)

 

But the real star of the show is Pinocchio. Barredo proved to be a good teacher to the young actor Noel Comia, who walked tentatively, jerked, and stumbled as one might imagine a wooden puppet would. When he sang a stirring "Santa Lucia," we got goosebumps. When his nose got long, we sat amazed. When he offered his life to save Gepetto, we were moved.

Sophie was in awe. She couldn’t believe that there was actually a wooden puppet walking and talking amongst us. And when the wooden puppet Pinocchio finally became a living, breathing boy, Sophie exclaimed: “It’s really true magic!”

 

Bravo Repertory Philippines!

 

P.S. A week after we saw the show, Sophie still sings “Buon giorno!” every chance she gets. — VC, GMA News


For show buying, tickets, reservations, and show details, call the Repertory Philippines office at (02) 843-3570, (02) 555-0082, (02) 451-1474, (02) 584-8458 and (02) 451-1796; or email:  inquiry@repertoryphilippines.com or log on to the website. Tickets are also available through Ticketworld's website. Call (02) 891-9999 for details.