Chicken Licken review – happy-go-clucky tale has charm, cheer and a fabulous fox

With a cluster of country music songs and a delicate aesthetic, this is a particularly welcoming and gentle piece of theatre for children aged three to seven. Featuring integrated BSL and a number of deaf actors in the cast, it’s a co-production between Polka, Hiccup theatre and Derby theatre who are collectively leading the way in creating inclusive family shows. My four-year old son, Benji, was charmed throughout, although it could do with a few more surprises – something to keep the children on their toes rather than snuggled in their seats.

Writer and director Sarah Brigham hasn’t stretched the original folk story too much. It’s still about a young chick who grows convinced the sky is falling in after an acorn drops on her head. She gets all her farm friends in a bit of a panic. There’s a lot of anxious racing around, some cheerful songs led by actor and sound designer Ivan Stott and, eventually, a spot of bother with a very crafty and charming fox.

The animals have been reimagined as eccentric humans, with Tim Heywood’s richly detailed costumes easily the most striking aspect of the production. Chicken Licken (Phillipa Russell) wears a bright yellow helmet with a few feathers poking out of it, Henny Penny (Laura Goulden) flutters about in a frilly apron and wash cap, and Turkey Lurkey (Stott) becomes a sleepy and forgetful old man, complete with a flat cap.

Sly delight … Chicken Licken. Photograph: Graeme Braidwood

The story is told using a mixture of signing, narration and creative captions projected against some large screens dotted about Rachana Jadhav’s cardboard cut-out set. The storytelling is handled well but some of the visual elements feel a little undercooked. My son Benji spent a lot of time carefully listening to the story but not absorbing the whole show in that way that is so particular to the theatre.

The puppetry is strong but fleeting. A lovely silhouette puppet show tells the story of Chicken Licken’s birth and frustrated attempts at flying. When the fox finally appears, it’s as if all the production’s theatrical magic has been channelled into a single character. The fox is represented by a puppet that is handled by two actors; one controlling his commanding hands and sly face; the other swishing his luxuriously long tale. Benji is gobsmacked and a little scared – held completely by the story for one gloriously intense, all consuming moment.

• At Polka theatre, London, until 11 May