Stick Man

Synopsis

One day whilst out for a jog, Stick Man is pounced on by a playful dog. Mistaken for an ordinary stick, he is swept far away, being used for all sorts of things: from a flag mast to a cricket bat, a snowman's arm to firewood (well almost!). As his adventure unfolds, Stick Man ? lost and alone ? wonders if he will ever get back to the family tree. Passing through all the seasons and culminating in a joyful Christmas celebration (with an appearance by a certain portly gentleman dressed in red and white) Stick Man will delight children and their families, no matter the time of year. Three actors and a one-man-band combine with a host of colourful characters and animals to magically re-tell Stick Man's adventures. Music is played live, with a multitude of instruments.

Our Review:

Anne Morley-Priestman - 8 September 2009

Sunday matinée performances seem highly attractive for a family audience, if the packed house for the première of the stage adaptation of Stick Man, from the book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler is a yardstick. It's produced by Scamp Theatre, directed by Sally Cookson and designed by Katie Sykes.

Judging by the near-perfect recall of the story so far slipped in at the half-way stage, even very young children are completely engrossed, accepting the conventions of of the performance with absolute understanding. The staging is deceptively simple with Benji Bower's off-stage recorded musical accompaniment supplemented by an on-stage obbligato, played mainly by Brian Hargreaves.

Mark Kane is the human embodiment of Stick Man, with a rod puppet as his alter ego; puppets also stand in for "his stick lady love and their stick children three". Emily Pollett takes on the boisterous dog and the swan searching for food for her cygnets among other creat...