The show; Stick Man. The tribe; two tired parents, a 3 (and a half – it’s important) year old, and a 1 (and a half – it’s less important) year old.

We dutifully packed up half the contents of our house and braved the train into London with two excited toddlers for their first ever experience of (professional) theatre. Our 3 year old (and a half, sorry Elowen) is very…particular. She’s the Craig Revel Horwood, the Anna Wintour, the Simon Cowell of…well, just about everything. The game of ‘tism or toddler runs strong in this household.

We’ve not taken her to see much, because we know that within 10 minutes we’d be subject to “I don’t think I want to watch this anymore”, “I don’t want you to say that please, Mama” (when/if I try to participate), or “Stop clapping please, Mama”, and it might just end up being a waste of money, time, and the little energy these tired two parents possess. Forcing our toddler to have a good time rarely works.

But when we got the opportunity to see the beloved Julia Donaldson classic, Stick Man, I thought – we might just be in with a shot here. At one point in her life she knew all the words to the book, and she still listens to it on her Yoto player almost nightly. Could this be our chance for a beautiful first introduction to the world of musicals and theatre? Well, as it turns out – yes, it was an absolute hit.

Despite nursery spawned illnesses attempting to eradicate the Bradley bloodline, we made it to the theatre. The staff were incredibly helpful, there were booster seats aplenty, Elowen and Barnaby were given stickers, and a sweet(!!) – the bag was packed with enough drinks and snacks to feed a small army for 14 days – we had a very good shot at making it through this 60 minute show.

The lights dimmed, a theatre full of families and school children quieted (sort of), the rustling began…

Onto the stage pranced 3 people, vocalising choreographed weird, wonderful, rhythmic and completely nonsensical noises that immediately captured the attention of a very excited crowd, and set the tone for the rest of the show. It was a brilliant way to open – with Elowen being so particular, I was a bit apprehensive about the opening – if they’d manage to capture her attention, without being so over the top that she immediately reacted negatively. It felt as though the aim was to confuse and intrigue the children, which worked delightfully, and Elowen was hooked before she knew what was happening. Cue many quiet giggles from children all over, and two or three “Mama, they’re so silly!” commentaries from Elowen.

Honestly, the charm of these three actors didn’t cease to delight for the full 60 minutes. The energy was unwavering. They jumped about with a lightness, ease, and a sprightly nature that

made every parent in the audience clutch their aged lower backs. And though they had odd characters and silly voices abound, it didn’t feel patronising at all. If your child is at the age where they still enjoy Stick Man the book, I’d say this would be aimed about right.

Full of gimmicks such as coming into the audience and running through the rows, entertaining musical numbers, and character side quests with a beach ball; Freckle Productions easily managed to stretch this 10 minute book into an hour long immersive story.

The sound was loud enough that the inevitable commentary from children wasn’t distracting, but not so loud as to distress anyone at all. I’d go so far as to include children with sensory issues in that statement too – excepting of course, the audience participatory sections – where two or three times in the show every single member of the audience was yelling, waving, and fanatically pointing at the cast.

Personally, we had such constant commentary as “Mama, I wish I could be on the stage too”, (a non pushy stagey parent’s dream),“Mama I want the dog to come back”, and “Mama, that man is doing *insert every single moment of nondescript in the show*”.

Forced revelry is not Elowen’s forté, but she actively participated in wiggling her fingers, reaching for the ball, and yelling to the cast when called to. She was spellbound by the bits involving Santa, all of the music, and loved the repetition of certain phrases from the book.

Now for my only gripe – the establishment of each new ‘scene’ was a little lengthy for me, let alone for the fledgling attention span of my offspring. To introduce the latest predicament in which Stick Man had found himself, there was an instrumental with physical movement/dance. These were the only moments that slightly lost the children’s attention I found – and these were the only times in the show where it felt a little like they were trying to stretch the content to fill the time. I’d have much preferred one or two more musical numbers instead, as these were a complete hit and went down an absolute treat.

Despite the minimal set, the separate scenes were beautifully distinguished with lights, props, and even the actors themselves – the music for the underwater section, and reverb on the mics for the actors ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ set the tone in such a captivating way for children, and honestly for the adults too. What cannot be overstated too are the musical multitalents of Peter Shipway, he was astounding – bouncing in and out of voiceovers, characters, scenes, and the instrument deck – it was incredibly satisfying to watch.

All in all, it’s a recommendation from me if your child is a Julia Donaldson fan – perhaps if you have a less persnickety toddler than my miniature Alan Sugar, they might enjoy it even if they don’t know the book! The atmosphere was relaxed, I didn’t feel worried about if my children were disturbing others, and the families all felt very friendly – it felt as though if your child got upset, the four families nearest you would offer a snack, a toy, or at the very least a sympathetic look. Perfect for a first time theatre experience. Elowen has already asked to go back, and is pleased as punch with her Stick Man Soft Toy she convinced me to buy (joking, she didn’t even have to ask) from the merch stand.

Stick Man is currently running until 4th January 2026. To find out more and book tickets you can find out more here.

If you like this review you might like my review of Matilda, Wicked and The Play That Goes Wrong.