Stick Man is a show for the very young and all those who love them. Live theatre is excellent for social development and awareness in children and this is a perfect introduction.
A stick man, a stick man. Now who can that be? It’s me!
This is a show for the very young and all those who love them. It’s a perfect introduction to live theatre. Devised from the book written by Juila Donaldson and Alex Scheffler, Stick Man has been produced world wide by Scamp Theatre since 2010. It is currently being performed at the Leicester Square Theatre for the fourth time.
Three actors entertain with a simple story of Stick Man who goes on adventure, overcoming adversity before being taken home in Father Christmas’ sleigh. They act, sing and dance through the story without a break. There is audience participation including a chase through the rows of seats and a game of cricket with an inflatable ball that sails out to the children.
Stick Man is the obvious hero of the show. He is played by Mark Kane, a veteran of previous years. Kane is an accomplished physical actor with a naivety and charm that’s important in this genre. Most of the time Kane plays the role with a Stick Man doll in his hands but the audience never lose sight of the fact that he is the human incarnation of the character.
Claire Dargo plays Stick Man’s lady love, the dog in the chase who barks and wees with delight, a cranky swan, a delightful beach lady and all with distinction and clarity of purpose.
The third member of the troupe is Gordon Cooper who takes many roles but who also shines as the musician in the group. There is a constant backing track composed by Benji Bower with gentle background music to support the story. However it is Cooper who provides many live moments of musical delight. He enters playing the ukelele, plays percussion instruments too but it’s his saxophone playing that impresses with its sweet tone.
Directed by Sally Cookson and designed by Katie Sykes it is clear that the creative team of Stick Man has a good understanding of the requirements of good theatre for the young. The pace is just right and the visuals are clever and appealing.
The narrative of Stick Man is delivered in small episodes that can be easily digested by its young audience and there is a suitable blend of anxious moments with the lighter scenes. There are many moments when every small pair of eyes and ears were riveted to the stage.
Magical.