“Geppetto and Son” opening next week!

“Geppetto and Son,” which is opening on Wednesday Feb. 24, has a cast of 32 as well as a full stage crew and orchestra pit. But what makes this production stand out from the rest of Northwood’s great productions is that the set is being designed by a Disney artist! Jimmy Mullligan, who worked for Disney designing sets for 7 years, has designed the entire set. Complete with everything from a Ferris wheel to a marionette stage, “Gepetto and Son” is all  in the spirit of Disney.

The set was constructed by Mulligan and his brother, Michael Mulligan, whom also worked for Disney for 3 years. Michael’s task, in addition to set construction, was to create Pinocchio’s nose. For those who don’t know the story, when Pinocchio lies, his nose grows. In animation, that’s easy enough, but when you’re dealing with real performers, it’s much more complex.

All Michael would say was that “it’s always a challenge. I really enjoy it, and a lot of it is just trial and error til you get something that really works. This was really fun, and it’s going to look great.”

The show runs from Feb. 24 til the 27th, and tickets are $12 for students and $15 for adults.

The scenery for Geppetto’s village of Belagio was built off site by Richard Hill Designs.  These pieces will form the main unit seen on stage for “Geppetto & Son.
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