This innovative and deeply charming retelling of a classic fairytale was an absolute delight for children and adults alike.

Now, I have seen a lot of children’s shows. I have a degree in theatre studies, a four year old child and a long stretch of service at the Edinburgh Fringe under my belt. I KNOW kids' theatre. And this was probably the best I’ve ever seen.

We’re greeted with a set scattered with packing cases in muted colours, some netting hung from the ceiling and a small raised area. The play is a two hander, and starts off with some nicely worked kid’s comedy - one of the characters wants to get on a train, the other is making things difficult for him. Eventually the male character goes to the station cafe, and tells a story to pass the time - the story of the titular gingerbread man - which is brought to life by the tiny cast through puppetry, song and physical theatre.

The most striking thing about the show is the use of the set and stage. Those packing cases are twisted around and opened, becoming an oven, a sofa, an entire cityscape. Part of the simple-looking set open up and telescope into whimsical set pieces. There were several scene transitions where my daughter and I both, literally and audibly, said “wow”. It WAS wow!

The story was also subverted in an interesting way. We don’t end on the iconic fox-in-the-river scene as the audience expects. Instead, the gingerbread man and the fox embark on an extended cat and mouse (gingerbread man and fox?) chase through an alternative version of London, and the narrative loops back into the framing device in a way that was pleasingly unexpected for the young audience. Delightful! Genuinely interesting, and not just a lazy re-hash of a well known story!

My only concern with the show was one of audience. The booking information clearly states that this is a show mainly for children aged from 3-10, and this was true - I’d be tempted to say, even, most suitable from 5-10. There were a lot of families there with a young toddler and a baby, and while the material wasn’t particularly inappropriate for younger children, this did lead to a lot of bored crying. A big part of what I loved about the show was that it wasn’t an overstimulating nightmare. So may children’s shows feel like an ordeal by primary colours, with endlessly repeated witless songs and tedious audience interaction set pieces that take up half the stage time. I adored that this show was so much quieter and more thoughtful, but the flyer implied that it would be significantly more colourful and less subtle than it was. A still from the production would have made the offering so much clearer in terms of which children might enjoy it most.

We absolutely loved this fresh and magical show. I will be buying tickets to everything Stuff and Nonsense tour to Oxford from now on.