The Smartest Giant in Town review – a very tall tale

The Little Angel Theatre celebrates its 60th anniversary with this stylish but stuttering adaptation of Julia Donaldson’s and Axel Scheffler’s popular picture book. Samantha Lane directs and adapts (alongside composer Barb Jungr) and although the puppets dazzle, it feels as if the safety brakes are still on. The panto elements feel a bit forced, the humour a little stiff and the young audience (perhaps partly down to Covid?) always at slightly too-safe distance.

The emotional tone of the show is also a little confused. As the once-scruffy giant plods around town and gives away his new smart clothes to a gaggle of animals in need, you can’t help but feel sorry for him. It’s as if the joke is on the giant, which is a slightly odd starting point. Are we laughing with or at the giant, as he sheds his clothes one by one? Each animal has been given a big musical number by Jungr and, again, the darker emotional overtones feel a little awkward. There’s a particularly strange scene when the mice’s house burns down, complete with flickering flames and glowing red lights. What felt like harmless good fun in the picture book suddenly feels jarringly bleak in the context of this largely fun family show.

The giant is played by Duane Gooden, with a cavernous giant face plonked on his head. It’s a cracking design but, as Gooden’s face is concealed throughout, he struggles to connect with his audience. Furthermore, while Gooden has a lovely proud singing voice, it’s quite muffled beneath that giant felt head.

Related: Behind the scenes of The Smartest Giant in Town – in pictures

It’s with the nutty animal puppets that the show brightens up and starts to feel livelier, more immediate and – crucially – a lot more fun. Puppet designer Judith Hope has worked with Les Enfants Terribles and there’s an anarchic and extravagant streak to her designs. The giraffe’s neck feels really, really long; the fox is especially sly; the dog wonderfully, naughtily dirty. Puppeteers Lizzie Wort and Gilbert Taylor work tirelessly and bring each animal to life with distinction and wit. Every silly squeak, ad libbed bark or bleat injects life into the show and reminds us of Little Angel’s vibrant legacy.

• The Smartest Giant in Town is at Little Angel theatre, London, until 8 August.