IF you go to see this performance expecting Disney schmaltz, a lengthening nose and Jiminy Cricket, you will be disappointed.

But if you are keen to enjoy a piece of theatre that is different from anything you have experienced before, then this version of Pinocchio is a triumph.

Set on a cold, grim fishing dock rather than sunny Tuscany, you soon understand that the story will not be the sanitised Disney version. It follows more closely the original tales of morality by Carlo Collodi.

Fisherman Old Joe (played by Peter Wandtke) fashions a puppet from a piece of driftwood. With no guidance on right and wrong, Pinocchio the puppet (an extraordinary performance by Jon Tipton) wastes no time in causing mayhem among the fishing community.

His exploits take him to a rave, gets him embroiled with a gang of hoodies and lead him to a mesmerising puppet show. Through his tough, often cruel experiences, he learns to be a good person and dreams of being a “proper boy.”

Will he get his happy ending?

The two principle companies specialise in producing drama with people with learning difficulties. Here, these actors play alongside mainstream actors.

It is a tribute to their energy and talent that you believe there are far more than just seven players as they seem to fill the stage with each scene.

The result is a splendid, uninhibited celebration of theatre to a whimsical soundtrack woven with thoughtful excerpts of dialogue.

It is in turns charming, nostalgic and, to adult eyes, can be a little disturbing in its violence.

But for the children in the audience, who howled with laughter the whole way through, it is just magical. It runs until November 3.