Taking top billing by a nose

The oft-told tale of puppet boy Pinocchio can have too many sentimental strings attached. A lonely woodcutter yearns for a son, discovers a puppet in the forest, adopts him as a surrogate, then loses him to a maniacal glue factory tyrant - it's a simple, heart-breaking tale of everyday folk.

So it's to Will Tuckett's credit that his all-singing, all-dancing new version, while staying true to the spirit of the original that makes a perfect tale for Christmas, steers clear of laying on the moralising with a trowel. Indeed, at one point it looks like Pinocchio is straying so far off the rails with his teenage mates that it's more likely he'll get an Asbo than a happy ending.

Of course, this being panto-land, we know the lad will come right in the end. But Tuckett, in cahoots with writer Phil Porter and composer Martin Ward, has come up with a relishable romp where the hiss-boo baddies get all the best tunes. There's enough knockabout action to keep children amused while adults savour the polyglot punning stuffed into the script.

But first and foremost, this is a dance show. And while Will Kemp's dastardly villain Stromboli is a certified scene-stealer, it's Matthew Hart's limb-juddering turn in the title role upon whom the show flies or falls. And Hart (pictured) is perfect, bringing a child-like insouciance to Pinocchio that never becomes twee.

Does he take top billing from Kemp? By a nose.

Until Jan 7, Linbury Studio Theatre, Royal Opera House, Bow Street WC2, Tue to Sat 7pm, various mats 2pm, £6 to £21, £10 to £15 concs (limited availability). Tel: 020 7304 4000. www.royalopera.org. Tube: Covent Garden

Pinocchio