“I wanted to reclaim the dark and anarchic tale of the puppet who wanted to be a real boy from a moralistic Disney production.”

So says Steve Tiplady, the genius behind Jabberwocky, whose one man show, Pinocchio, is due to hit audiences in Kingston this August.

The artistic director said people would still recognise the story, but would be introduced to parts excluded from the Oscar-winning 1940s film.

He said: “The nose thing is a very good example. That only happens once in the book and is a very small part of it yet in the Disney film it is the moral centre.

“There are parts some people won’t recognise and will say ‘that’s not part of it’, but if they read the book they will realise.”

Combining puppetry, shadows, illusion and music, with a sprinkling of improvisation, this a 60-minute production that manages to remain steeped in reality while taking you on a magical journey.

He said: “Something happens in the imagination of the audience, they are doing all the work. “There are brushes that become a fox and the shadow of two saws transforms into a big fish.

“All that I am doing is creating a space for the imagination.”

Pinocchio at The Rose Theatre, High Street Kingston, August 2- 5. Visit rosetheatrekingston.org/ or phone 08444 821556.