Invited Review: 3rd April 2026
We were lucky enough to be invited to The Customs House on Good Friday to see their latest Pantomime Pinocchio.
We were excited as we returned to Cooksonville for their take on this classic tale with their Easter pantomime adventure, written by Tom Whalley and directed by Steven Lee Hamilton.
We absolutely loved it and left thoroughly entertained. They really have outdone themselves this year and have set the bar very high!
We always enjoy a Customs House pantomime and today was no exception! We arrive and made ourselves comfortable for the show. The Good Friday showing was the very first of their shows over the Easter holidays. The theatre was packed, which was great to see, and the atmosphere was electric in anticipation, with people of all ages eagerly awaiting the start of the show
We began this classic tale with the story of how Pinocchio came to be, whittled into creation by the lonely puppet maker Geppetto, before being brought to life by the enchanting Blue Fairy.
It would have been all too easy for the performance to get bogged down by this part of the story and its theme but they did a brilliant job of storytelling while keeping the audience entertained. They introduced all the main characters, set the scene, and engrossed the audience, all the while keeping it light and laugh out loud funny.
The laughs were a real feature of the show. We’ve seen a lot of pantos and getting the balance of humour, entertainment and storytelling is always the big challenge. This one was definitely up there in terms of humour with the very best! There were some outstanding laughs, with some great gags. There was a nice mix of bawdy, clever, crude and cringeworthy jokes. They were really nicely shared around the cast, and it was great to see it wasn’t just the dame and lead comic getting all the laughs.
We were introduced to the hero of the story Pinocchio, played by Aiden Nord. He was great and his his acting was certainly not wooden!
He really brought to life his character. With his mix of naivety, mischievousness and charm.
His creator Geppetto was played by Tom Morris. A local lad and familiar face at the Customs House. He set the scene brilliantly at the start, alongside the Blue Fairy, played by Anne Rivers. She acted as narrator of the story at time, in between the scenes, alongside Amber Kelly as the energetic and exuberant Jiminy Cricket.
We were also introduced to our panto dame and comic relief in the form of Dame Winnie Wouldhave, played by Tom Whalley and her bumbling but loveable son Dennis, played by Glenn Richard Townsend.
The laughs were thick and fast with these two, with some real stand out moments. Their slapstick routine at the pizza palour had the audience in fits, with some close calls and unscripted moments.
Their love of panto shone through the whole performance and they brought down the roof on several occasions with their infectious humour and quick witted quips.
To counteract the fast and furious laughs and provide the much needed fear and trepidation we had the villain of the story Stromboli, played by Mark Paterson. You could tell he loved being the baddy and thrived on every boos and hiss!
He was the perfect villain for our classic tale of moral consequences.
As the story unfolded we followed our little Pinocchio as he gained fame, was imprisoned against his will, was rescued, went to Pleasure Island for much debauchery, was part turned into a donkey, swallowed by a whale, before his eventual salvation and redemption.
The Customs House did an amazing job with this classic tale, telling the story brilliantly, all the while keeping the audience in fits of laughter and thoroughly entertained.
One stand out moment that needed a mention was the Whale! This part was a terrific and terrifying moment. It really set the jeopardy to max, and had kids and adults alike agasp. The Whale was made by Tree Stump Theatre Productions, and has to be seen to be believed!!!
All in all it was an amazing performance and one we would definitely recommend to our readers. It was well paced, thoroughly entertaining, hilariously funny and a joy to watch.
Perfect for kids and big kids alike! 10/10
You can see Pinocchio and The Customs House until Sunday 12th Jan 2026.
For more information click here.