We’ve been to see Stick Man Live On Stage in the West End every year and it honest and truthfully never, ever gets old. A friend of mine has done the same with her children and she said to me the other day that even when her children are grown up she still wants to go even if it means going on her own. She’d never have to of course because I’ll be going with her, there’s no way I’ll be missing out as it signals Christmas as far as I’m concerned.

I know I say I like a lot of London theatre for children (we seriously have some amazing stuff here) but Stick Man at The Leicester Square Theatre and one other production (Father Christmas at the Lyric Hammersmith which I reviewed this year here) hold special places in my heart and I can honestly say if you see anything at all this festive season, then it should be one of these!

Every year we have seen different actors in Stick Man (and sometimes the same ones too) take over the roles as if taking a baton with precision. What I love about it is that they don’t try too hard to make the roles ‘their own’ and just pick up where the person before them left off. Sometimes and with some productions this can be a bad thing of course but here, when it’s for children this young and with this particular story, it needs to stick to the characters we know and love just as they always do. The story needs to be as it is in the book you see and everything on the stage simply needs to be an extension of the pictures and words the children know so well, for a child (for me too sometimes I have to admit) seeing something with a personal touch from an actor or director can take away something from a book and ruin a story, children really don’t need that in a production, they need THIS.

I’m not sure exactly how Scamp Theatre (who are ALWAYS brilliant) have managed to capture Julia Donaldson’s story so perfectly or what they did to bring Axel Sheffler’s illustrations to life in quite such a vivid way but that’s the beauty! It’s when you don’t really notice all the little things that you truly know something is a masterpiece. Florence said ‘They do a lot of stuff with umbrellas don’t they’ and yes, they do! The way they use props, music and minimal costumes is superb.

I can’t really say anything other than you should see it because, well, you should! You will sing the ‘Stick Man’ song for the whole year and then when it’s on again next November you will be booking tickets to go back! Stunning! Simply and utterly stunning!

I have set the director some interview questions and when he has kindly replied I shall add his answers into this post but for now, do book up before they sell out, because they will you know (£50 for a family ticket and worth every single penny)!

I was given complimentary tickets to see Stick Man Live On Stage in return for an honest review.

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