Preview: Stick Man at the Lyceum, Sheffield

When he’s Stick Man, of course.

Now everybody’s favourite stray stick is branching out – with a new stage show coming to Sheffield next week.

The smash-hit stage adaptation Stick Man, from the much-loved Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler picture book, runs at the Lyceum from Thursday, November 23, to Saturday, November 25.

Young fans of the illustrated story can expect a trio of performers – turning in some hopefully very wooden acting! – and a show packed with puppetry, live music, songs and audience participation.

As every preschooler knows, Stick Man lives in the family tree, with his Stick Lady Love and their stick children three.

But what starts off as an innocent early morning jog soon turns to calamity for our wandering hero, and an epic misadventure ensues.

Can Stick Man span the seasons to get free of the dog, swan and children – who all get the wrong end of the stick and want to play with him, build a nest with him, and use him as a sword, sandcastle mast, snowman’s arm and even firewood?

And, most importantly, with the help of a certain Santa Claus, will he ever get back to the family tree in time for the festivities?

The play is adapted by Freckle Productions, the team behind fellow Julia Donaldson stage show Zog, and is set to be the perfect production to begin little ones’ countdown to Christmas.

Julia Donaldson’s bestselling story, published in 2009, began as a simple idea – that a stick is more than a stick.

But what really sparked the book was an image created by Axel Scheffler of the Gruffalo’s Child, holding in her hand a stick doll.

“That set me thinking about sticks, and how they can become so many different things,” said Julia, whose first book A Squash and a Squeeze was published in her mid-40s.

“I remembered when my sons were little they would play with sticks and they would be everything.”

And so the story of Stick Man evolved…

• Tickets can be booked through the Sheffield Theatres box office in person, over the phone on 0114 249 6000, or online at www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk