Stick Man at a glance

Show
Stick Man
Venue
Bloomsbury Theatre, London
Address
15 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AH
Nearest station
Euston (5 min walk, step-free); Euston Square (4 min, step-free); Warren Street (7 min)
Genre
Family show with puppetry, songs, and live music
Running time
Approximately 1 hour, no interval
Age guidance
3+ recommended (all ages welcome; under 2s free on a lap)
Dates
3 December 2026 – 3 January 2027
No performances
7, 8, 14, 21, 25 and 26 December 2026; 1 January 2027
Price range
From £18 (typically £18–£36)
Producer
Freckle Productions
Director
Mark Kane (original direction by Sally Cookson)
Based on
The book by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler (2008)

Expert Review: Stick Man at the Bloomsbury Theatre

4.7
★★★★★

LTH Expert Rating

Reviewed by the London Theatre Hub editorial team. Last updated: 11 May 2026.

The Verdict

Stick Man has been returning to London every December for fifteen years, and there is a very good reason for that: on its own terms, it is almost perfectly made. Freckle Productions know exactly what this show is — a one-hour family piece for audiences from pre-school upwards — and exactly what it isn't. There's no padding, no condescension, no shortcut. Three actors, a designer's worth of clever set pieces, Benji Bower's score played live, and Julia Donaldson's rhymes delivered with the timing they deserve. That's the show. It works.

What's slightly surprising is how good it is for adults too. The puppetry and physical comedy are sharp enough to genuinely land, the music has more invention than it needs to, and the central emotional beat — Stick Man trying to get home for Christmas to a family who don't know where he is — is allowed to breathe for just long enough to mean something. The Bloomsbury Theatre is the right venue: intimate enough that the youngest audience members can see clearly, big enough to feel like an event. It's the Christmas show many families now build their festive season around, and the upgrade to its 15th season is a quiet reminder of how rare that kind of staying power is in commercial theatre.

What Makes It Special

  • Fidelity to the book. Julia Donaldson's rhyming text is delivered intact and on the beat — anyone who has read the book ten thousand times at bedtime will recognise every line. The show trusts its source material rather than trying to reinvent it, which is exactly the right instinct for a story this loved.
  • The puppetry. Stick Man himself is a beautifully designed puppet — articulated, expressive, and operated with real skill. The dog, the swan, and the other creatures Stick Man encounters all earn their own moments. Katie Sykes' design works hard without ever feeling busy.
  • Live music throughout. Benji Bower's compositions are performed live by the company, giving the show an energy that pre-recorded backing tracks just don't have. Brian Hargreaves' musical direction keeps it tight; the songs are properly catchy without ever feeling forced.
  • The right length. One hour, no interval. For an audience that includes three-year-olds, this is the show length equivalent of a perfectly fitting jumper — long enough to feel like a real outing, short enough that nobody melts down.
  • Freckle's track record. The company are the gold standard for Julia Donaldson stage adaptations, with credits including Zog, Zog and the Flying Doctors, and The Smartest Giant in Town. They know this material backwards, and it shows.
  • Bloomsbury Theatre's family-friendliness. Buggy park, accessible toilets, step-free access from nearby stations, and a Lower Ground floor bar/toilet area that's used as a buggy holding zone. It's set up for the audience it gets.

You'll love Stick Man if you...

  • Have a pre-school or primary-age child who loves the book
  • Want a Christmas family outing that's neither pantomime nor sit-still ballet
  • Appreciate live music and puppetry done properly
  • Want a one-hour show that fits around small children's attention spans
  • Like the idea of a Christmas tradition you can return to each year

It might not be for you if you...

  • Are bringing a baby under 2 expecting them to sit through it — they're welcome on a lap, but it's a show, not a sing-along
  • Prefer big spectacle musicals — this is intimate, not lavish
  • Don't have, or aren't bringing, a child — adults alone may find it slight
  • Want a traditional panto with audience participation, dame, and slapstick — this is gentler family theatre

Best for

  • Families with under-10s
  • Pre-schoolers (3+)
  • Fans of the book
  • First theatre trip
  • Christmas tradition
  • Grandparent outings

Not the strongest fit for adult-only groups, teenagers, or families looking for a large-scale spectacle.

Critical Reception

Freckle Productions' stage adaptation of Stick Man has accumulated strong reviews across more than a decade of London and touring runs. Critics have consistently praised the show's fidelity to Julia Donaldson's source text, the inventiveness of the puppetry, and the precision of Mark Kane's direction. The published critical highlights below have been quoted across press materials for the production over multiple seasons:

  • Time Out — "Wonderfully exuberant"
  • The Independent — "Zesty and delightful. A clever, compelling treat"
  • Edinburgh Evening News — "A triumph"
  • The Stage — Strong endorsement (across multiple seasons)
  • WhatsOnStage — Strong endorsement (across multiple seasons)

Source: published reviews and producer press materials from Freckle Productions' tours of Stick Man, 2012–present. Specific London press performance reviews for the 2026 season will be added after press night on opening week.

Everything You Need to Know

What happens in Stick Man?

Stick Man lives in the family tree with his Stick Lady Love and their three stick children. One morning, he heads out for a jog. He does not come back.

A morning jog gone wrong

A dog spots Stick Man and, naturally, mistakes him for a fetch toy. The chase is on. Stick Man eventually escapes the dog, only to be swept up by a swan who thinks he'd make a useful piece of nesting material. From there the misadventures multiply: a child grabs him to use as a cricket bat, the river carries him out to sea, a beachcomber uses him to flick sand. Stick Man is, again and again, mistaken for what he isn't — a piece of wood — when all he wants is to be recognised for who he is and get home.

The journey home

As the seasons turn and Christmas Eve approaches, Stick Man finds himself further than ever from the family tree. He's exhausted, lost, and — in one of the show's most emotionally honest sequences — ends up tossed onto a fire. The danger is real but the storytelling is gentle: pre-school audiences track the threat without being frightened by it.

The Christmas Eve rescue

It is, of course, Father Christmas who recognises Stick Man for what he is, lifts him out of the chimney, and tucks him into his sack alongside the presents. The journey home is one of the great closing sequences in children's theatre — Father Christmas's sleigh, the rooftops, the family tree, the reunion. Stick Lady Love and the three stick children have been waiting. The show ends in the right place: not loud, not extravagant, just right.

Why it works

Donaldson's gift, in Stick Man as in The Gruffalo and her other books, is the way she gives small stories real emotional stakes. The stage adaptation respects that. Three actors share all the roles, switching between human characters and puppeteering Stick Man and the creatures he meets. The Bower score adds momentum without ever pulling focus from the rhymes. It's a show that knows exactly what it is.