"The Storm Whale" by Matt Aston.

Djanogly Theatre, Lakeside.

Noi lives with his Dad, a hard working fisherman, and six cats by the sea. One summer, while his Dad was busy at work, Noi rescued a little whale that washed up on the beach and takes it home with him, but there's only so long that you can keep a baby whale in your bath without your Dad finding out. Noi has to return the whale to the sea but a friendship has been forged that changed all of their lives forever.

The following winter his Dad takes one last trip on his fishing boat. Noi is alone once more and longs to see his friend again. He waits and watches, watches and waits…

Will it take another storm to bring them back together?

I will admit that I didn't know anything about the award winning books "The Storm Whale" nor "The Storm Whale In Winter", written by Benji Davies, of which this really lovely piece of children's theatre is based on, and written and directed by Matt Aston, who also gets a verbal nod to one of Davies' other children's production that Matt has previously directed in the script.

The eagle-eyed adults may recognise, from the names of the six cats, where Benji Davies' story was set.

There is a beautiful folky/Celtic soundtrack, written and performed by Julian Butler, with just a little hand from one Georges Frederic Handel, that accompanies the production. Julian is also responsible for the Sound Design, where there are some lovely sound effects.

Designed by Lydia Denno, who like most designers for children's theatre productions, utilises the space well by sectioning off areas that can be multi purposeful, and also creating divisions that, while not being visible, separates the stage. For instance, there's a section where Noi and his Dad eat their food, but without sections it's also the beach where Noi plays, instantly creating a larger space for the story. There is a raised section that acts as the bedrooms and bathroom, which then automatically creates a space for the props and part of the set to be stored underneath.

The bath serves as a boat and there's a lighthouse as well as a couple of other buildings on the sand. In the bedroom, pictures of the cats come to life on the walls; you can really let your imagination run away with you as an audience member in this production.

Lighting designed by Jason Salvin. The storm scenes are dramatic and you get a real feeling of the havoc it causes with the effects from the lighting. Associate lighting designer is Alistair Fox.

Choreographed by Hayley Del Harrison, which gives this show a really light and fun feel about it.

Puppet direction by Sue Dacre and the puppets have been made by Keith Frederick. There's a really cute puppet Noi that appears in the second half, and Sandwich the Cat is also incredible cute. The whale is very realistic, and seems to move by itself at times, which catches you off guard, especially when Noi first finds it on the sand, plus we see a family of whales later on who repay Noi for his kindness by coming to his rescue!

Performed by Charlotte Wood who plays Flo, the narrator of the story, who also lives in the lighthouse, Hannah-Marie Payal, who plays Noi and Richard Lounds, who plays Dad. With this trio, you can see why story telling is still an art, especially when you're relating to a younger audience. 

You can shut your eyes and let their story telling just wash over you, but why would you want to close your eyes when there's so much you'd miss visually in this wonderful piece of theatre. It's also a piece of theatre that gives a very real message, well a few messages actually. Messages about being kind to others and that kindness will be repaid, karma if you like, plus an important message about the difference of being lonely and being alone. It also highlights the fact that Dad works so hard that sometimes he may miss little warning signs given out by Noi. 

People often think children's theatre is just that, a bit of entertainment for the kids which give parents a bit of a breather, especially at this time of year, but GOOD theatre also have messages that we can all learn from, and like pantomime, can work brilliantly on several levels. This is why it's important that there are still companies like Engine House, York Theatre Royal, Little Angel Theatre, The Marlowe and of course Lakeside Arts that provide this sort of theatre.

Lakeside also provide entertainment for the youngsters - and parents/carers/family members - before and after the show. From whale themed decorations, Christmassy treats in the café (I'd definitely recommend the mince pie flavoured cheesecake), to a special Storm Whale inspired installation in the Wallner Gallery – created by students from Djanogly Strelley Academy. 

It's a gorgeously heart-warming piece of theatre that would be a real pre Christmas, or pre New Year, treat for anyone who enjoys the art of storytelling and gentle theatre, and at just seventy-five minutes, including the fifteen minute interval, there'll be no time for anyone to get restless.

"The Storm Whale" is at Djanogly Theatre, Lakeside until Sunday 5 January 2025.