This Christmas, the most famous puppet the world has ever
known is coming to the Watermill Theatre in this brand-new musical adaptation
of Pinocchio.
Lovingly carved in Geppetto’s workshop, Pinocchio’s parents dream of a bright future for their wooden son. Pinocchio, however, dreams of adventure and sets off on a path of fun and freedom ready to discover the world. Along the way, Pinocchio is confronted with big decisions and a menagerie of colourful characters, leading to calamitous consequences as he starts a fire, turns into a donkey, and even ends up inside a whale!
With courage, heart, and a sprinkling of magic, Pinocchio celebrates what it means to grow up; the mistakes we make, the lessons we learn and the power of unconditional love.
Tickets from £15
Concessions available.
First performance special offer - all tickets £15
Join us on 15 Nov at 5.30pm and you will enjoy a complimentary hot drink and a sweet treat from our cafe before the show.
Performance information
Running time approximately 1 hour 55 minutes including an interval.
Most suitable for ages 4+ but all ages are welcome.
Pinocchio gets himself in a lot of mischief whilst adventuring, and not everyone he meets has his best interests at heart. There are moments of peril (including imprisonment) and some sticky situations (the cricket doesn’t make it), but no wooden boys (or puppets) were harmed in the making of this show.
This show contains haze, smoke, flashing lights, and pyrotechnics.
Babes in Arms (under 24 months) are welcome to sit on a guardian's lap for the duration of the performance, just select an 'Adult & Babe In Arms' ticket when booking. Children aged 24 months and over will require their own seat. We would recommend sitting downstairs with very young children.
Food and Drink
We have a wide range of food and drink options available, from light bites to full pre-show meals:
Breakfast bites (from 20 Nov) - The restaurant will be open for hot baps, pastries, hot drinks and more from 1 hour before morning shows, plus from 10.30am on Saturdays. No pre-booking required.
Cream teas - Served after Saturday 2.30pm performances, and all 3pm performances. Book here.
Restaurant menu - Open for lunch & dinner. View our delicious seasonal holiday menu for Pinocchio below. If you'd like to make a booking in our Watermill Theatre Riverside Bar & Restaurant, click here.
Meal & Drinks Package
Join us for a special meal and drink package for £10 per adult and £5 per child, saving up to £10.95 when you pre-order with your tickets for an evening performance on 16 Nov, 19 Nov, 5 Dec, or 12 Dec (this will be offered after you have chosen your seats in the booking process). Offer includes any child's main, or an Adult hot dish or burger from the menu below.
Audio flyer
BSL flyer
The Watermill Theatre · Pinocchio
Rehearsal photography by Mark Senior
Rehearsal trailer by Alex Ryland Jones
Additional trailer footage by Fluxx Films
Written by Michael Morpurgo
Adapted by Simon Reade
Music & Lyrics by Chris Larner
Co-Director Elle While
Co-Director Indiana Lown-Collins
Set and Costume Designer - Yoav Segal
Puppet Designer/ Maker/Director - Marc Parrett
Lighting Designer - Jonathan Chan
Sound Designer - Ella Wahlstrom
Movement Director - Asha Jennings-Grant
Musical Supervisor and Onstage MD - Simon David
BSL Supervisor Stephen Collins
Sign performers Kim Helman and Lixi Chivas
Captioning Min Gilby
Audio Description Lixi Chivas
Jerome Yates
Pinocchio
Theatre credits include: Our Teacher’s A Troll and Peter Pan & the Battle for Neverland (Ruined Theatre); Surfacing (Asylum Arts); Driftwood (Pentabus/ThickSkin); The Leftovers, Sophocles’ Oedipus/Silent Practice, We Anchor in Hope, Against, Julius Caesar, Jumpers for Goalposts, Much Ado About Nothing, Three Sisters, Six Characters in Search of an Author and The Glass Menagerie (LAMDA).
Film credits include: The Children (Black House Pictures).
Christopher Bianchi
Geppetto
Theatre credits include: I’m Sorry Prime Minister: I Can’t Quite Remember and Waiting for Anya (Barn Theatre); Of Mice and Men (The Torch Theatre); Othello, Tartuffe, All's Well That Ends Well, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, Living Quarters, As You Like It, Arcadia, Richard III, The Cherry Orchard, King Lear, Antony & Cleopatra and Julius Caesar (Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory); Othello (English Touring Theatre); Cinderella (MAC, Birmingham); Robin Hood (Regal Tenbury); The Boy Who Cried Wolf, No Loud Bangs series, The Rivals, Penetrator and Aesop's Fables (Bristol Old Vic); The Last Voyage of Sinbad the Sailor, A Christmas Carol, Alice Through the Looking Glass and Waiting For Godot (Tobacco Factory); Betrayal and The Nutcracker (Bath Theatre Royal); The French Detective & the Blue Dog (Egg, Bath); A Flying Visit, The Crowstarver, Bonjour Bob and The Ministry of Fear (Theatre Alibi); King Lear, The Provok'd Wife, The Seagull and Filumena (Peter Hall Company); The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Charlotte's Web and The Three Musketeers (Duke's, Lancaster); Clown (Travelling Light); Blue/Orange (Plain Clothes); Instant Wit and Desperate Men.
Television credits include: The Outlaws, The Pale Horse, Casualty, Gunpowder, X-Creatures, Historyonics and Dead Famous (BBC TV); The Café (Sky) and Radio Sea Breeze (ZDF German TV).
Lottie Latham
Signora Geppetto
Theatre credits include: The Mousetrap (West End and National Tour); The Miniaturists (Arcola); Sweet Eros (Alchemial Theatre, NYC); The Secret Life of Sally (Southwark Playhouse); Opening Doors (Soho Theatre); Much Ado About Nothing and The Importance of Being Earnest (Cunard) and The Lizzie Play (RADA Festival).
TV credits include: Russell Brand: In Plain Sight (Channel 4, BAFTA-Nominated).Lottie has also participated in short films, workshops at Theatre Royal, Stratford East and Wilton’s Music Hall.
Fred Double
Cricket
Training: Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts
Watermill credits include: Much Ado About Nothing (2024).
Theatre credits include: Lord of the Flies (New Adventures, UK Tour); Wuthering Heights (Wise Children, DeLaMar Theatre); Aladdin (Hackney Empire) and A Swingin’ Christmas (Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club).
Jacoba Williams
Carabiniere
Training: Italia Conti Academy of the Arts & National Youth Theatre.
Theatre credits include: The Frogs (Kiln Theatre and Royal & Derngate), Women & Theatre: Revival (Birmingham Rep), Twelfth Night For One Night Only, The Fir Tree, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night (Shakespeare’s Globe), The Winter’s Tale and Our Verse in Time (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse), Where do we go from here? (Pentabus Theatre), Alice in the Universe (Oxford Playhouse), Bogeyman (The Pleasance Dome), Before I was a Bear (Bunker Theatre and Soho Theatre), Gulliver’s Travels (Unicorn Theatre), Love Dance (Chiswick Playhouse), The Snow Queen (The Stephen Joseph Theatre), When the Sea Swallows us Whole (Vaults Festival), and Queens of Sheba (Camden People’s Theatre , New Diorama, Underbelly and Vaults Festival - Winner of The Stage Award 2018).
Television credits include: Vera (ITV) and Twelfth Night (CBeebies).
Short Film credits include: Framed, The Vest, Highlife, Montague, Cleo’s Choice and Expiry Date.
Radio credits include: Bleak House (Audible), Vergil (Audible/Naked Productions) and Precious Little Thing (BBC Radio 4 & Talawa).
Afia Abusham
Fox
Training: Stella Adler Studio of Acting (New York) and Associated Studios (London).
Theatre credits include: The Flowers of Srebrenica (Legal Aliens); Estella (Theatre6); Uncle Vanya (Harold Pinter Theatre); Anansi the Spider (Unicorn Theatre); Babylon Beyond Borders (Bush Theatre); Apple Tree House (CBBC) and Macbeth (Classical Theatre of Harlem).
Film credits include: Dirty Boy (Dirty Boy Pictures) and Lighter Shade of Blue (Short).
Eddy Payne
Cat
Training: Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts .
Theatre credits include: Macbeth and Romeo & Juliet (Orange Tree Theatre and Guildford Shakespeare Company); Richard II and The Two Noble Kinsman (Guildford Shakespeare Company) Little Women, Romeo & Juliet and Stig of the Dump (Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre); The Witches and The Battle for Neverland (Ruined Theatre); Fighting Irish (Belgrade Theatre); Oliver Twist! (Storyhouse); Great Expectations and The Macbeths (Rotherhithe Playhouse); Macbeth (Young Shakespeare Company); Fanatical (The Playground Theatre); Baby Come Back (Leicester Square Theatre) and Wondergirl (Pleasance Theatre). Workshop credits include: Uncool (Kenny Wax Productions) and Fanatical and The Rhythm Method (Rachel Kraftman Productions).
Simon David
Onstage Musical Director
Simon trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. There he met collaborator Chris Larner, who directed Simon’s debut, musical comedy hour Virgin at the Edinburgh Fringe, nominated for Broadway World’s Best Cabaret Show (2018). His follow-up musical comedy hour, White Gay won a Brighton Fringe Award (2021) and featured in the British Comedy Guide’s Recommended Shows at the Edinburgh Fringe (2022). His latest hour, Dead Dad Show won Amused Moose’s Most Entertaining Show at the Edinburgh Fringe (2023) and was nominated for Chortle’s Best Variety Show (2024) with The Scotsman writing, ‘Five stars feels inadequate for this joyous, hilarious, brilliant, witty, sparkly campfest of a show.’
Credits as Musical Director include: The Musical of Musicals! The Musical! (Above The Stag Theatre, nominated for Off West End award) and James and the Giant Peach’(UKCI, Beijing).
Simon is a regular pianist at London’s show tune piano bar, Overtures, and leads an amateur choir in South London.