Pinocchio is back at Shakespeare’s Globe this Christmas, and the company is now complete: Gabrielle Brooks and Colm Gormley lead the new arrivals, with Lee Braithwaite returning as the puppet who wants to be a boy.
The Globe’s festive musical is coming back for a second winter, and the full cast has now been named. Pinocchio premiered at the Globe Theatre in November 2025, when more than 33,000 people saw it and The Telegraph called it “the most enchanting show of the season”.
Lee Braithwaite is back in the title role. Four more of the original company return with him: Kerry Frampton as Fox, Ed Gaughan as Franzini, and Lizzy Ives and Kody Mortimer as ensemble swings.
The new names start with Gabrielle Brooks, who plays the Blue Fairy. Brooks was Olivier-nominated for Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical and has worked at the Globe before, in Comedy of Errors and Cymbeline. Colm Gormley, another Globe regular whose credits there include As You Like It and Romeo and Juliet, takes on Geppetto.
Amy Booth-Steel, whose West End credits include Paddington: The Musical, covers three parts: Giacomo Cricket, The Coachman and Cat. Luke Brady doubles as Carpenter and Rabbit Prince Charming, while Liv Alexander and Josh Butler join the ensemble as swings. On the puppetry side, Bartolomeo Bartolini comes in alongside Aya Nakamura and Andrea Sadler.
The show draws on Carlo Collodi’s original stories. Sean Holmes, the Globe’s Associate Artistic Director, directs, with book and lyrics by Charlie Josephine and music and lyrics by Jim Fortune. The creative team also includes associate director Roberta Zuric, choreographer Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu, designer Grace Smart, puppetry director and designer Peter O'Rourke, orchestrator Zac Gvi and sound designer Tony Gayle.
“I’m delighted that our production of Pinocchio is returning this Christmas to the Globe,” said Holmes. “We were immensely proud of the show and the response from audiences who loved its humour, heart and honesty. We look forward to welcoming a whole new audience to experience this magical festive musical.”
Pinocchio runs at the Globe Theatre from Saturday 28 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, with press night on Saturday 5 December. It runs 2 hours 10 minutes including an interval, and is aimed at audiences aged five and up.
