Review: Stick Man brings fun and laughter in a wonderful adaptation of the book

The story of Stick Man written by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler has become a popular well-loved children’s book and animated film.

This time, Stick Man’s story is brought to life in an immersive production at The Lowry with inventive uses of props and spectacular performances from its cast.

The theatre gives a great view for all those in attendance, with polite and helpful staff located around the theatre to offer help of any kind.

Kicking off, the show starts with Stick Man leaping into action which is greeted with a roar of excitement from the children in the audience.

Interestingly, instead of someone playing the character dressed in a costume, Jordan Louis-Fernand portrays Stick Man whilst simultaneously holding a small prop of the Stick Man figure in his hand.

While it appears peculiar at first, it quickly becomes apparent it works very well and you are soon immersed into the show.

The production tells the story of Stick Man’s unfortunate journey as he is driven further and further away from his wife, children and home ‘the family tree’.

Leaving ‘the family tree’ one day for a morning jog, Stick Man is met with a wacky dog that comes bounding onto stage, immediately prompting laughs from the audience.

What follows is a series of obstacles and zany characters which continue to push poor Stick Man away from his home, including a young Karate enthusiast, a hungry Swan and a crackers couple at the beach.

The performance is accompanied throughout by a live on-stage drum set which perfectly complements the action. 

Despite the stage appearing basic, the cast make great use of the items around them including a table which represents ‘the family tree’ amongst other objects.

In creative fashion, the cast use each prop well to demonstrate the weather and other terrain changes using props such as umbrellas, pretend fish and other beach-type objects.

The children were captivated by the outstanding performances and were well involved with each interaction between the cast and the audience. 

Each element of the show contributed to the immersion of the story and props must be given to the three actors in the show, Jordan Louis-Fernand, Alice Imelda and Jonathan Ainscough.

Stick Man is a delightful production which is a perfect Christmas treat for all the family.

Stick Man is at The Lowry until Sunday 9th January 2022. Tickets are available here.