Any parent of children under five will know the words to Julia Donaldson’s Stick Man by rote: “I’m Stick Man, I’m Stick Man, I’M STICK MAN, that’s me!”
And so on and so forth, ad infinitum. So it’s a welcome relief to have someone else say them, and a joy to have them sung with such charm and enthusiasm by a talented and charismatic cast.
Family man Stick Man lives in the family tree with his stick lady love and stick children three.
That is until one day when out for his usual jog he gets mistaken for an actual stick and picked up by a dog. From the dog’s mouth to a child’s hands and then he’s a Pooh stick, a Swan nest strut, a cricket bat and, eventually, firewood. Oh no!
Despite a minimal stage, the three actors play with enough confidence in the story to avoid any of the patronising pitfalls that comes with children’s theatre, and more than enough skill as puppeteers, dancers, musicians and comedians to make it all work.
And rest assured our hero is rescued from the fire basket in timely fashion and reunited in the safe haven of his sycamore just in time for an audience-wide sing-a-long.
Four stars
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