DOUGLAS FIELD relishes the hard-boiled language, satire and humour of the third and last of the Harlem trilogy
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Pinocchio perfection
PETER MASON sees a new version of the classic children's story that ticks all the boxes
[Manuel Harlan]
STEPHANIE BROWN draws attention to the hidden labour of the female embroiderers, and how a 19th century replica made no such error
MIK SABIERS revels in a band that ploughs an idiosyncratic furrow of expletive laden, guitar-driven alt rock
ANDY HEDGECOCK, MARIA DUARTE and ANGUS REID review Synthetic Sincerity, Our Hero, Balthazar, Heartstopper Forever, and A Year In London
The bard invites readers to a gig, raps for Clacton, and lays out the Burnham-Hurzeler conundrum
RON JACOBS recommends an important book that enhances the oppositional theories put forth by Fanon and, in doing so, remakes psychology itself
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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