THE 130-year-old story of Pinocchio is retold on stage at The Berry Theatre until December 24.

With an adaptable cast of three, the audience is taken on a journey, which begins with a piece of wood in the hands of the toy maker Geppetto, and ends with Pinocchio becoming a real boy.

There are some tough life lessons on the way for the wooden puppet Pinocchio, as he learns that being good isn’t always easy.

His exciting adventures make a great story. There are also some lovely touches of h u m o u r , which had both children and parents in the audience laughing.

My fiveyear- o l d daughter was mesmerised by it and was full of questions about it on the way home.

The three actors wove a magical world together really well on stage, and there were some super quick costume changes as they became different characters within the story.

Of particular note was Winchester-based actor Ben Craze, whose main role was Geppetto, and was highly entertaining as The Cat, and The Theatrical.

Eighteen-year-old Fox Jackson Keen brought Pinocchio to life with some spectacular gymnastic and balletic moves, and the children really enjoyed the puppet’s songs too.

A slightly scary bit was the sea monster – who swallows Guiseppe and Pinocchio – but it was just enough to add the right amount of drama. And my daughter was alarmed when Pinocchio tried to dry his feet by the fire after falling in the pond, and they caught fire!

All in all a great introduction to theatre for young children, and with tickets at £9-£11, accessible too.