By Gina Harris
SalfordOnline.com Rating: 5 out of 5
Stick Man lives in a family tree
With his stick Lady Love
and their stick children three.
Scamp Theatre brought pure joy to the audience while performing Julia Donaldson’s popular children book Stick Man at The Lowry theatre on Salford Quays.
I guarantee that the above song will stay with you throughout the performance, on the way home and through to bedtime. Stick Man is a cracker of a book and here becomes an exuberant and imaginative theatre performance.
We were already big fans of the book and were very excited to see how it would be adapted to the stage.
Stick Man’s world is turned upside down when he is parted from him wife and three children at the family tree when he goes for an early morning jog.
A dog wants to play fetch, a girl then throws him in the river, a swan builds a nest with him, and he nearly ends up on the fire at Christmas until he saves the day and rescues Santa and earns a sleigh ride home.
Featuring a trio of fantastic actors the show is fast-paced and energetic. The hilarious expressions on their faces really make the show so enjoyable to watch.
With the exception of the tree and the array of instruments, the stage was bare.
Scenes were cleverly put together by the use of cloths, rubber rings and swirling umbrellas.
White ribbons are icy winds, discs of paper are snow and a roll of paper served as a river in which the stick man bobs up and down.
There’s a good balance of audience participation and it was a joy to watch my six year old son’s face light up throughout the 55 minute performance.
Although the production was simple enough for a very young audience the catchy songs and energy of the actors would make a repeat visit for anyone of any age a great afternoon out.
This fabulous show is a sure-fire hit and I thoroughly recommend it as a fun-filled family show.
