Freckle Productions’ Stick Man is an effervescent and delightful 55-minute stage adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s charming children’s book of the same name, which makes its welcome return to the West End this year. Most parents with young children will be familiar with the duo’s beautifully worded and illustrated work, which comprises several modern children’s classics such as The Gruffalo, Tiddler, and Superworm. Donaldson and Scheffler’s fables are full of warmth, humanity and ingenious rhymes and repetitions, which lend themselves brilliantly to theatre adaptation.
The plot is a Christmas story to appeal to the child in all of us, no matter how old or jaded. A living stick of wood (the titular Stick Man, played by Richard Kent, a gifted physical comedian) complete with home and family (“his stick lady love and their stick children three”) wakes up early and goes for a jog, only to be snatched by a stick-loving dog – just the first in a series of gently humorous and colorful misfortunes that take him further and further away from his beloved family tree.
Safeena Ladha and Ben Williamson-Jones assume the other roles with aplomb; Ladha nimbly switches from dog to girl to swan in the blink of an eye, whilst Williamson-Jones demonstrates some jaunty musicianship with his deft use of a ukulele, banjo, saxophone, drums and chimes. The trio is endlessly inventive, using everything from twirling umbrellas to suggest the sea to balletic dance routines involving rubber rings. There is some great, catchy music (composed by Benji Bower), and large doses of humor that the grown-ups in the audience will enjoy (“what does a well-dressed stick man wear? Vivienne Westwood,” was my especial favorite). Sally Cookson’s production includes plenty of pantomime-style audience participation of the “he’s behind you” variety. There is a lively game of volleyball (with a Covid-compliant, make-believe ball) between the cast and the audience.
Our four and two-year-old critics were utterly engrossed from start to finish. My husband and I both found it an incredibly uplifting and enjoyable performance; the dynamism of the actors and the pizzazz of this production really radiated through the theatre. This is the fourth time my elder daughter has seen the show, and she has adored every performance. I hope it remains an annual fixture in our diaries for several years to come.
Stick Man runs at the Leicester Square Theatre until 3 January 2022.
For tickets, and to book, please visit stickmanlive.com
Lawrence Cole, Tyler Ephraim, and Clair Gleave.
Clair Gleave as Stick Lady Love.
Clair Gleave as Rudolph, Tyler Ephraim as Stick Man, and Lawrence Cole as Santa.
