Julia Donaldson is something of a third parent in our family, with her books (and Axel Scheffler’s iconic illustrations) being the bedtime story of choice most evenings. So, of course, we were not going to miss the opportunity to see their first collaboration (written in 1993!) on stage at the Lowry.
The story itself is a brilliant rhyming tale, where an old lady complains that her house feels too small, and a wise old man suggests she takes her farm animals, one by one, into her home. Of course, when they are all in there, the house feels smaller than ever, but as soon as he takes them out, the old lady realises that her home has more than enough room. It’s a fable about perspective and being grateful for what you have, however the book is a quick read, and the show lasts for an hour, so it does feel as though some of the charm of the original story is missed a little.
At the very start, before the show begins, the Wise Old Man (Chris Dobson) traverses through the audience, briefcase in hand, speaking to the children and offering his services as Easy Peasey Solutions. I have to commend Dobson on his brilliant improvisation skills, as children (especially mine) will throw out the biggest curveballs, and he handled them all with ease. The Wise Old Man handed out business cards to some of the children in the audience and Dobson was very likeable and easy to watch on stage. I will say, however, that he just wasn’t very old. Both my children (4 and 6) pointed out that the Wise Old Man should be old, and Chris Dobson is certainly not old!
In a similar vein, the lovely Ruth Calkin, who played the “Old Lady” was very far from the silver-haired illustration in the story and certainly didn’t feel “old”, although she was brilliant.
The final human that completed the cast was Mark Esaias, who was a bit random in terms of the story (I’m not sure if he was ever given a name) but was integral to the puppetry of the show. The puppets, designed and made by Maia Kirkman Richards which were absolutely stunning. They were so creative – the cat made out of a ball of wool, the goat made out of a wheelbarrow etc, but all with Scheffler’s recognisable style.
The show did feel a little long, and slow in places. There were many moments that felt like filler and although some of the songs were catchy, they did drag on a little in the story. Of course, it’s important to add extra dialogue when turning a short story into an hour long show, however in comparison to Donaldson’s flowing rhymes, the additional words are a little jarring.
Overall, the show was good. Not incredible, but not terrible. A nice way to spend an hour in the middle of the summer holidays, but far from the best Donaldson stage adaptation.
The show is running at the Lowry until 24th August.
Reviewer: Codie Wright
Reviewed: 5th August 2025
North West End UK Rating: