Tiddler and other Terrific Tales

Scamp Theatre—the team behind last year's wonderful Stick Man—are back with Tiddler and other Terrific Tales, a mega mix of some of author Julia Donaldson’s most popular titles. The set looks simple enough but it is a cleverly designed playroom of props, transformed for each story. Live and recorded music, mesmerising use of light and catchy little songs also contribute to make this a slick and professional show.

The three performers—Joseph Carey, Peta Dennis and Mathew Hamper—are impossibly likeable. Wide-eyed and engaging with a hint of kooky, their naïve wonderment is perfectly played, without ever feeling over the top. Their characters—in particular George the Giant and the whistling Old Lady from the Deep South—do Axel Scheffler’s illustrations, and your child's imagination, great justice.

Sensibly, the show stays true to the familiar books and you can see the young audience delight as they say the words out loud with the performers.

But to pack so many stories into one show is a tall order, one that Tiddler... almost manages. On the one hand it is sensible not to recite the whole of each story, yet on the other it feels a bit of a shame; they are so good that each deserves the spotlight.