Of all the blockbuster kids’ books produced by the industry-dominating Julia Donaldson/Axel Scheffler partnership, could Stick Man be the weirdest? It’s a curious tale of a sentient being who seems in fact to be neither stick nor man. Our hero, out for a morning run, finds himself essentially kidnapped by a curious dog. A further series of unfortunate events separates Stick Man from his Stick Lady Love, their three wooden kids and his forest home… until the day is saved by none other than (major spoiler alert) Santa Claus.
Sensibly, seasoned Donaldson adaptors Freckle Productions don’t waste time on trying to make all of this make logical sense to a pre-school audience, or their parents. Instead, the Stick Man text becomes as a tentpole for some impressive stagecraft and plenty of enormously fun buffoonery.
The high-energy cast of three bust out silvery fish, rubber rings and beach balls, umbrellas and other sensory tricks, as misadventure after misadventure carries our splintery hero through water, sand and snow. One or two flying props may have been fumbled during the performance I saw, but I think it’s fair to chalk that up to the joyful chaos on display. There’s some imaginative, engaging and admirably non-cringe audience interaction, and even a few jokes for the grown-ups, panto-style.
On-stage percussion, melodica and sax from actor-musician James Gulliford give the prerecorded soundtrack (by Benji Bower) a live lift, and Stick Man himself (JG Daniels-White) shows off some impressive vocal chops during a doo-wop number. My three-year-old was rapt from start to finish – but this is also that rare kids’ show that’s properly good fun for adults too. Maybe it’s just the Christmas spirit talking, but by the time Stick Man finally makes it back to his Family Tree, you may be surprised to find you have something in your eye.
