Hugless Douglas is a simple story. The pyjama-wearing bear wakes from hibernation and is looking for the perfect hug. He tries hugging rocks, trees, sheep and owls before stumbling across the source of the biggest, warmest arms he knows.

Converting children’s books to stage is a tricky business. Hugless Douglas as a book is so successful in part because of its brevity, coming in at 32 pages, a sentence or two on each.

A direct translation to stage would be over in about ten minutes. Blunderbus Productions are stalwarts at this kind of adaptation and they’ve continued their run on shining form.

The actors are tirelessly energetic and retain a sense of vigour and passion the more slapstick and clowny children’s entertainers seem to lose rapidly (i.e. they don’t look dead inside).

The set and costume are faithful to the original illustrations, the play contains as much narrative drive as stories for three year olds can have, and it includes songs that stay in your head until you want to bleach your brain. An entire theatre full of kids went crazy for it. Several hours later and they’re all still singing the twit twoo song.