Anancy & Pinocchio Critic S.B.

Name of Candidate: Emanuelle Senior

Subject: Theatre Arts
Name of Centre: Belair High School
Centre Number:100140
Candidate #:
Territory: Jamaica
Teacher: Mrs.Chris-ann Blake-Coombs
 On the 5th of December, at Belair High School, I saw the hilarious play ‘Anancy &
Pinocchio’. This play was written by a remarkable playwright, Patrick Brown, and produced
by Jambiz International Films. The dedicated cast members include Glen Campbell who
played the comical role of Anancy, Desmond Dennis as Pinocchio, the puppet that
transformed into a real boy, Courtney Wilson as Geppetto who is a Rastafarian toy maker,
Sharee Elise as Geppetto’s love interest, Aunt Lulu and, Quera South as the magical African
fairy, Aziza.
This play is about a humble but poverty stricken toy maker named Geppetto. His
acquisitive employee, Anancy, tries to persuade him into selling his toys. Geppetto believes
his toys are an attachment of him and refuses to do so. A day goes by and POOF! a magical
ancestral fairy named Aziza appears to grant the toy maker a wish due to his ascetic
behaviour. He then wishes for his most detailed toy to be a real human boy, and that is how
Pinocchio came to be.
At first Anancy was very annoyed with the inquisitive newly turned boy, but overtime
the two started spending time together and Pinocchio started adapting Anancy’s disgusting
mannerisms and starts behaving poorly.
Anancy’s bad influence turned Pinocchio into a lying thief. In the end the two learnt
their lesson that wealth means absolutely nothing if you forget the humble beginnings from
which you came from.

Character’s Acting Skills

 Voice
The actors articulated and enunciated their words very well, I could clearly hear and
understand the dialogue even when I was sitting towards the back of the auditorium.
Voice of Character
The voices of the actors were well suited for their individual roles.
-Anancy had a very boisterous tone of voice, this showcased how unpleasant he was
to other characters.
-Aunt Lulu had a very flirty voice while talking to her crush, Geppetto.
-Geppetto was an elderly man, so his voice was very gruff.
-Aziza was an expectantly chatty fairy.
-Lastly, Pinocchio showcased a similar tone of voice like a young child but as the play
progressed he had a more mature tone.

 Gestures and Expressions

-Throughout the plot, Anancy had displeasure laced across his face due to
continuously asking Aziza for a wish but always being denied.
-At first, Pinocchio displayed curious childlike behaviour since he is new to the real
world.
-Aunt Lulu can be seen making hilarious seductive glances towards Geppetto, but
Geppetto just ignores her.
-Fairy Aziza in my opinion was very airheaded because she was selective about using
her powers.
  Movement/Blocking
The actors made good usage of the stage. I personally believe their movement was not
overdone.
The dance scene was honestly so exciting. The actors were obviously not trained in
dance, but they looked like they were having the time of their life. This strongly
encouraged a positive reaction from the audience.

Technical Elements
 Set design.
The set designers and props engineers did an excellent job at bringing the director’s
vision to life.
-The house was very realistic, it looked like a typical house in the countryside, with
rusty zinc on the roof and a tire to hold it down. The house also consisted of stairs, a
door, window, zinc fence and a “Do not Disturb” sign that was used at the perfect
moments.
-Geppetto’s toy shop looked very appealing with various cute dolls and wooden art
pieces on the walls.
-Multiple times throughout the show, Fairy Aziza can be seen standing on a platform
to show her mysticality.

 Lighting
-Blackouts for transitions were done well.
-The different scenes were properly lit.

 Sound Effects
-The music in the introduction played smoothly and prop sounds were realistic such
as the slam of Geppetto’s house and shop door.
-Aziza’s magic wand had a glittery sound effect when she waved it around.
-The music from the dance scene was appropriate and full of vibes.
-When Pinocchio was a toy, I could hear the hinges of his body parts when he moved.

Costume and Makeup

-The costumes were well put together.
-Aziza wore a tribal costume with fairy wings, Pinocchio had a wooden body and casual
clothing in the beginning scenes but as the plot progressed he wore more ‘Posh’
clothing,Gappetto and Aunt Lulu wore clothing typically for the elderly and Anancy wore
casual clothing at the beginning but later on wore a classy suit.
-Side characters such as Darkaz wore colourful wigs and outfits to show that she was a go-go
dancer.
-Geppetto had a thick grey beard. He also had on a red, yellow and red tam to show he was a
Rastafarian.
There was a strong relationship between the actors and the audience. The audience seemed
pleased with the performance. I 100% enjoyed it and I would definitely recommend others to
see ‘Anancy & Pinocchio’.