SIMON Slater, composer, musical director, actor and son of celebrated one-legged Prospect Of Whitby yachtsman Arthur Slater, has returned to his Scarborough roots for the Stephen Joseph Theatre's Christmas show for children.

Born in Filey Road and inspired by his music teacher David Lees Jones at Bramcote School, Simon, 57, has gone on to be nominated for an Olivier Award in 2013 for his sound design for Constellations in the West End and latterly was musical director for the National Theatre’s Amadeus.

Now, he has written the music for Nick Lane's "delightfully daft" adaptation of Pinocchio, whose production run comes to an end on New Year's Eve, but that still leaves a few days to catch the pick of this season's Yorkshire shows for family audiences.

Simon is delighted to be playing his part in the show's success. "I used to come to the SJT when the theatre was down the hill, to see Alan Ayckbourn's new plays with my parents in the Seventies and Eighties. Happy memories," he says.

His invitation to participate in Pinocchio came from the SJT's new artistic director, Paul Robinson, the show's director. "I worked with Paul in London a number of times, when he was running a Fringe place called Theatre 503, and it's great that he's got the SJT job because he deserved a building. It's good for me too, as I can be like an elephant, going back to the water, doing this show in Scarborough."

For Pinocchio, Simon has written music for four actor-musicians Joseph Hardy, Elliott Rennie, Pérola Congo and Anne-Marie Piazza, who play 30 roles and a multitude of instruments between them and revel in the vibrant score and witty lyrics.

"I got the script, and it's fast-moving with a lot of quick changes, quite 'rough theatre' as I would call it, and the remit was for nine lyric songs plus incidental music to accompany the wooden puppet Pinocchio's adventures as he strives to become a real boy," says Simon.

"I've written the songs for double bass, saxophone, cello, piano accordion and trumpet, and I chose those instruments because the script is set firmly in Yorkshire, but with an Italian street band, via Scarborough! It's fast and quirky, with lots of wood, and in a way it's a bit of a romp, so my job is pretty straightforward: keep it lively!"

Pinocchio is but one of four Christmas shows utilising Simon's skills. "I've done the songs for Cinderella at Winchester Theatre Royal; produced and co-wrote The Santa Trap for The Cliffs Pavilion, Southend, and done the music for Little Red Riding Hood, a small show at the Chelsea Theatre," he says.

Pinocchio runs in The Round, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, until Saturday, 2.30pm daily plus 7pm Wednesday and Thursday. Box office: 01723 370541 or at sjt.uk.com. The SJT will present a digital stream of Amadeus from the National Theatre, London, on Wednesday, February 15 at 7pm.