Before we start I would like to introduce the Young Family, Louise and Paul are two of our dearest friends. They have, wait for it… four adorable children. Just the thought of it makes me want to sit in a dark room! 2 tween boys and 2 younger super sassy girls. One of these gorgeous little ladies, Suzie is my god daughter, but she likes to refer to me as her fairy godmother, ok, I admit I have sort of drummed that into her since she was born, but I love being a fairy godmother, who wouldn’t?
Louise and I have worked alongside each other for many years. As such I am thrilled she is coming onboard to review theatre alongside us and share the opinions of her little gang on all things arts and theatre. A task she is super qualified for, having graced the boards in Panto all of her life and also being a lifelong theatre goer. Welcome aboard gang it’s lovely to have you join the Christie’s on our little space on the internet.
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So Over To Louise And The Stick Man!
A host of Julia Donaldson’s well-loved tales occupy a prime spot on our daughters’ bookshelf, having also been enjoyed by our two older sons. Along with the ever-popular Gruffalo and Room on the Broom, Stick Man ranks as one of the girls’ big favourites.
Suzie (5) and Rose (3) were very excited at the prospect of seeing Stick Man come to life, and the Scamp Theatre production certainly delivered.
‘Stick Man lives in the family tree with his Stick Lady Love and their stick children three…’.
But the world outside the family tree is a dangerous place for Stick Man. What starts off as a morning jog becomes quite the misadventure – a dog wants to play fetch with him, a swan builds a nest with him and he even ends up on a fire! How will Stick Man ever get back to the family tree in time for Christmas?
The Stick Man At The Lowry Was Engaging For A Young Audience.
The girls thoroughly enjoyed the hour-long performance (the perfect length for the mostly younger audience) and laughed out loud at the silly sounds, funny faces and dance routines.
The Stick Man production has some unusual and clever use of props, such as the twirling of umbrellas to depict rolling waves, and just the right amount of audience participation segments to keep the children engaged throughout.
Some Of The Girls’ Favourite Moments Of The Stick Man
Included the dog chase, the beach scene with the swimming ring and the beach ball game audience link. There were one or two jokes for the parents to enjoy (including a famous saxophone solo which received a round of applause). Towards the end there was the appearance of a special guest along with his red-nosed reindeer which went down a treat with the girls given the time of year.
From the moment the incredibly talented Mather Hamper, Lara Cowin and Robert Wade arrived onto stage, they had the children at ease and laughing with a clever silly noise number which set the tone of the show and the fun level never dropped. It’s a fantastic family show aimed at younger children with enough for the older ones to enjoy too. I won’t spoil the surprise but it’s definitely worth getting seats on one of the front couple of rows.
During lunch after the show, Suzie said that she wanted to come and see it again, but with her older brothers next time. And anything that has kiddies wanting to come back for more has got to be a winner.
Stick Man is playing at the Lowry Theatre throughout December until Sunday 6th January. With a relaxed performance on the 12th December, a captioned performance on the 15th December and an audio description performance on the 22nd December. To book tickets, visit https://thelowry.com/whats-on/stick-man/
We were gifted the tickets for review purposed but with all the will in the world, you could not make these gorgeous sassy little ladies say they loved something they didn’t.