Pinocchio's new adventures come to life

While it’s obviously mentally challenging for an actor to switch sexes, the physicality of the switch should not be underestimated.

“Fortunately, I don’t have to do anything with my voice, but my biggest challenge is physical. It’s staying away from standing or sitting in a certain girly way, and it’s training my body to remember,” says St. Albert actress Madeleine Knight.

The 2011 Grant MacEwan musical theatre arts graduate considers herself pretty lucky to have landed the starring role in Pinocchio, the new Alberta Opera production scheduled to premiere tomorrow at the Westbury Theatre in the TransAlta Arts Barn. It runs Oct. 27 to 30 and Nov. 4 before launching its seasonal tour of schools across the province.

Adapted by Edmonton’s illustrious musical team of Jeff Unger and Farren Timoteo, this Pinocchio veers away from the Disney’s iconic version to create a new world of self-discovery.

“Fairy tales are the most wonderful thing to sink your teeth in. You can let your imagination go wild. This is Jeff and I’s third show together and we try to set the bar high,” says Timoteo, who wears the director’s cap.

Borrowing some aspects from the original Carlo Collodi’s 1883 version, Geppetto is a puppet maker and a puppeteer. He crafts Pinocchio from wood but all the while wishes his real son Vincenzo was with him and could come home.

“By virtue of the wish, Pinocchio is brought to life to be his son. Geppetto is not pleased and wishes to see his real son. So Pinocchio sets out to bring Vincenzo home,” Timoteo says.

In his journey he meets a rich assembly of characters including con men, criminals and grouper fish swimming in the English Channel. In all, three actors – Knight, Byron Martin and Christopher Scott – take on the personality of 22 characters.

Timoteo adds that Pinocchio was the fairytale he stayed away from adapting until now. There were so many characters and locales that creating a portable production was difficult.

“But this year we introduced different technical devices implying things were there. And a children’s audience is one of the best you can have. You can imply something and they fill in the blanks.”

When designer Daniela Masellis planned the multi-functional set, if a prop or set piece didn’t have multiple uses, it was tossed.

The result is a playful production for the young at heart.

“It’s full of high emotion, humour, beauty, magic and it’s a journey we can all enjoy.”