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Our family loves Stick Man– we have the book, we love the BBC animation and our 2 year old even owns the stuffed toy.

In typical Julia Donaldson style, the picture book tells a rhyming story of the antics of a “Stick Man.” Stick Man leaves his family home to go for a jog which starts him off on a dramatic journey where he gets mistaken for a pooh stick, a bat, firewood and a mast for a castle, among other things. It is a feel-good story, with humour, family values, a tiny bit of peril and the most perfect Christmassy happy ending.

We had very high expectations of the stage adaptation of the book and were not disappointed.

This incredibly creative Freckles production is an action packed 60 minute show; it is brilliant for families, and a perfect introduction to theatre for young children. In fact, the theatre was full of children from babes in arms right up to tweens. But there was something for all, and perhaps it was the parents who could be heard laughing most loudly at the cheeky beach scene (you’ll have to see it to find out why!)

We took our 7, 5 and 2 year old children along and they were all completely enthralled.

The show is performed by a 3-person cast of talented actor/ musicians, with one cast member performing a huge number of instruments on the stage – that is, when he’s not dancing, acting or playing Father Christmas!

The show includes puppetry, audience participation, catchy songs, dance and fantastic acting. The theatre was packed full, and the audience were loving it, with children waving, clapping, shouting instructions to the actors, and even chanting “wake up Stick Man” when he was in the grate of the fire.

We were sat in the stalls, which were slightly tiered to ensure a good view, and in addition each of our children were able to use a booster seat to get a clear view of the stage. Our usually wiggly crew kept their bums on their seats the whole time, as they were totally gripped by the production.

Get a taste of the production by watching the trailer:

The details about Stick Man at the Lowry.

Stick Man will be running ‘til 9^th January at the Lowry in Salford, and would be a great Christmassy family outing. You can also catch it at Leicester Square Theatre in London until the 3^rd of January, or at various locations for the touring production, until 9^th January. Check out their website for more details: https://stickmanlive.com/

There are relaxed performances and British Sign Language performances too.

Prices range from £19-21 depending on your seat selection .

If you are watching in Salford, then the Lowry also has free art exhibitions, a lovely giftshop, a café, bar, a restaurant and an activity room for children – it’s worth arriving an hour or two before your performance to enjoy it.