By Nicholas Ryan Lamb www.steadstylechicago.com

Ever since I was a young boy and saw one of my first productions at The Marriott Theatre to the present, I have always been impressed with the space.  There is fluidity to the theatre that transfers its energy to the shows performed.  There have been many scripts of “Pinocchio” written throughout the years and now a musical version (obviously because that is what The Marriott does).  The story of a wooden puppet that gets life breathed into him by the Blue Fairy for the love of Geppetto.  Pinocchio ventures to eye opening places with the constantly worried “conscience” of Hopper (G. Hopper that is).  “Pinocchio” has always had a good moral of never to tell a lie and a wonderful bond between father and son.

The script keeps the story pretty tightly wound for the sake of the ever increasing lack of attention span of today’s youth.  Weak though are the songs in the show, which are not too memorable and don’t match the caliber of the spoken text.  I love that this show is usually kept with a traditional feel with the set and the other technical elements (lighting not included), but in this production we hear modern elements of product placement and an odd rap dance number that took me away from the show.  I did enjoy all of the technical elements.  The Marriott has always had a simplistic complexity that visually appeals to the masses.  I enjoyed the swiftness of the set changes and even the Pinocchio reveal. 

This production was riddled with fun characters.  Jackson Evans (Hopper) was hands down the glue of the show.  His timing was perfect and his awareness to his audience was what is needed in these shows.  As a director of shows for young audiences myself, one of the most important things to impose on the performers is that your energy has to exceed the squirmy crowd.  Every time he was on this was established and you could feel it with the surrounding audience.  Bernie Yvon (Geppetto) was another performer to grab my attention.  He is such a genuine actor with an amazing quality that makes you want to believe every word and emotion he is saying/feeling.  His handling of the wife being “gone” reveal is well done.  One thing that bugged me casting wise was seen during the reveal of Pinocchio and the fact that Pinocchio turned into "a real...man?".  Jameson Cooper was a little too old looking for the part once revealed.

There was a good size audience and rightfully so.  This is a show that I would recommend for parents and at a fair price especially for the quality of the production.  “Pinocchio” is playing at The Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire through August 29, 2010.  Daily performances include Wednesday through Sundays at 10 a.m.  Single ticket prices are $15 per person (plus tax and handling fees) and are available at the Marriott Theatre Box Office or online at Ticketmaster.com.  Groups of 15 or more receive a discount; call the group sales department for pricing at 847-634-5909. Free parking is available at all shows.  For more information, call 847-634-0200 or visit www.MarriottTheatre.com.  For more information on this show, please visit the Theatre In Chicago Pinocchio page.