MRS ARMITAGE ON WHEELS

Purcell Room

★★★½

“a visually inventive and musically robust production”

Adapting beloved children’s literature for the stage requires a delicate balance between honouring the source material and expanding its theatrical potential. Samantha Lane’s brand-new musical adaptation of Quentin Blake’s Mrs Armitage on Wheels—bringing the award-winning BBC Box of Treasures animated series to the stage—largely succeeds. It offers a visually rich, highly interactive 50-minute romp.

From the moment the audience enters the space, Ryan Dawson Laight’s beautiful set design establishes a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere. The show opens sharply as Mrs Armitage emerges from her cottage with an infectious, energetic greeting. The physical unfolding of this cottage is a masterstroke of scenic design, eliciting genuine gasps from the auditorium.

The production shines brightest in its clever use of puppetry and object theatre. Maia Kirkman-Richards’ puppetry design breathes incredible life into Breakspear the dog. The nuanced manipulation—making a simple tummy tickle feel profoundly real and touching—grounds the heightened reality of the play. As Mrs Armitage modifies her bicycle (adding horns, snack trays, umbrellas, a dog bed, and a sail), the visual comedy escalates. Breakspear’s hilarious evolution on stage—from jumping on a scooter to becoming a bouncing ball dog, and finally a balloon dog—is a brilliant stroke of physical humor that had children gleefully shouting “bike!” from their seats.

Furthermore, everyday objects are anthropomorphized to great effect. The delightfully absurd speaking mouth of a letter dynamically breaks up the action, revitalizing the room’s energy, while a singing football on the roof turns the mundane into pure, laugh-out-loud comedy.

Jessie Maryon Davies delivers a surprisingly large-scale musical landscape. The score feels genuinely theatrical, featuring complex vocal harmonies that elevate the material beyond standard children’s fare. The finale, “Let’s Celebrate,” is highly engaging, leaving kids enthusiastically debating the flavour of the beautiful prop cake (Chocolate? Peppermint?) long after the curtain falls.

Thematically, the constant upgrades to the bicycle brilliantly raise a classic philosophical question: does relentless progress actually help or hinder our original goals?

However, the production is not without its dramaturgical flaws. The episodic plot structure borders on being overly repetitive. While true to the picture book format, this cyclical repetition somewhat dampens the narrative momentum on stage, causing audience expectations to dip in the middle act.

Additionally, a noticeably long blackout disrupts the show’s otherwise bubbly pacing. If this was an intentional stylistic choice, it bred confusion rather than suspense; if it was merely a scene transition, it desperately needs tightening to maintain the young audience’s immersion.

Mrs Armitage on Wheels is a visually inventive and musically robust production. Despite a slightly repetitive narrative structure and a clunky transition, its heart, humour, and brilliant puppetry make it a delightfully freewheeling ride.

MRS ARMITAGE ON WHEELS

Purcell Room

Reviewed on 19th February 2026

by Portia Yuran Li

Photography by Dan Tsantilis

MRS ARMITAGE ON WHEELS

★★★★

“a snow-kissed poem of a show”

Based on Emma Dodd’s beloved picture book, Me is a tender and beautifully judged piece of early-years theatre from Little Angel Theatre, capturing the enormity of love through the eyes of the little ones.

The theatrical experience begins before the lights even dim: children are instantly drawn to the striking parent-penguin puppet perched atop a gleaming white iceberg, a visually charming beacon that sparks curiosity and excited whispers across the theatre. Little Angel Theatre—long established as a leader in high-quality puppetry for young audiences, understands its audience deeply— expertly folds this anticipation into the dramaturgy, turning waiting into play.

Directed with warmth and clarity by Samantha Lane, the production offers a visually cohesive and elegantly minimal world. Simon Plumridge’s crisp, monochrome design evokes the Arctic with simple, clever transformations, ensuring that focus remains on the central relationship rather than visual clutter. The show’s most delightful surprise is that it is powered entirely by a single performer: Clarke Edwards brings irresistible charm and humour to the tiny protagonist, imbuing “Me” with a lively spirit through quick vocal shifts, expressive puppetry and playful physical comedy. Every shake of snow from the baby penguin’s feathers earns collective giggles, and Edwards transitions between multiple characters with an ease that keeps young audiences fully engaged.

Jimmy Grimes’s puppet design adds soft textures and expressive nuances that encourage connection — which is exactly why little hands repeatedly stretch toward the stage before parents gently pull them back. With very minimal spoken text, Arran Glass’s lyrical score becomes an essential storyteller, seamlessly guiding emotional shifts and helping children follow the journey. Audience participation is woven in with care: cheers erupt each time the little penguin succeeds, while the chorus of children calling out “Little one?” adorably dissolves the fourth wall. Even the playful moment of counting penguins in the theatre reinforces the show’s central theme — that in an enormous world, love makes you feel visible, valued and big.

If anything, a touch more variation could benefit children at the upper end of the age bracket; a few repeated waddling and sliding sequences feel slightly prolonged. But this is a minor note within an otherwise perfectly pitched work.

Ultimately, Me knows exactly who it is for and honours that audience with generosity. It is a snow-kissed poem of a show — celebrating wonder, protection and the courage of growing up. A heartfelt reminder that love, quiet and constant, is the biggest thing of all.

Tag Archives: Samantha Lane

MRS ARMITAGE ON WHEELS

★★★½

Purcell Room

MRS ARMITAGE ON WHEELS

Purcell Room

★★★½

“a visually inventive and musically robust production”