Children's classic Jolly Christmas Postman brought to life with snow storms singing and smiles galore

Childhood favourites Janet and Allan Ahlberg’s were firm favourites in our household when we were growing up and I remember the Jolly Postman and spin off Jolly Christmas Postman so vividly with all the letters and bits and pieces in the beautifully illustrated books.

And here we are more than three decades on since the award-winning story was printed, this brand-new stage adaptation is at the Royal and Derngate for the Christmas season.

My three-year-old has been busy reading the Jolly Christmas Postman over the last few weeks to prepare him for the show that we were lucky enough to be invited to. He’s obsessed, albeit wary of the big bad wolf.

The Royal and Derngate looked superb upon arrival – decked out with Christmas tree, twinkly lights and a sleigh!

A wonderful red sleigh complete with a beautifully illustrated and localised Northampton backdrop of the Jolly Christmas Postman.

My little boy loved it and hopped aboard for a photo opportunity. Parents, take note to leave some extra time to enjoy this magical feature before the show.

There is also a postbox and a traditional bike, just like Jolly’s in the show.

The wonderful Royal auditorium was packed with children and adults of all ages at 10.30am on Friday including school trips and a few brave teachers.

The set, even before the curtain comes up, is stunning. The stage is surrounded by letters that we enjoyed looking at before the show started.

Before we knew it the cast burst onto the stage full of smiles and we settled down for one hour of festive entertainment.

This frosty fairytale is fronted by the super talented Samuel Morgan-Grahame as Jolly the Christmas Postman as he sets about delivering his parcels and letters to friends as they prepare for the holiday season.

Along the way we see Goldilocks and The Three Bears, Red Riding Hood, Humpty Dumpty, the Gingerbread Man, Big Bad Wolf and a wonderful visit to Toy Town.

The three-year old’s favourite was the very cute little bear who kept dropping his letter. This provided an actual laugh out loud from him, while the rest of the time he was mesmerised.

My favourite was the Humpty Dumpty scene hilariously played by Ellen Chivers who had the audience in stitches as Jolly tried to put the egg back together.

There was much anticipation about the Big Bad Wolf but we need not have worried and he wasn’t so scary after all, much to the relief of the toddler.

The hugely talented cast are delightful – they bring warmth to the stage and their smiles are infectious. What a lovely job to dance, sing and make people smile in the run up to Christmas. The original music is all live with a wide variety of instruments featuring.

Other highlights including a joyous trip to Toy Town and the little house scene with the Gingerbread Man using tiny props.

The attention to detail throughout was superb and I tried to take it all in.

The show concludes with squeals of delight as snow falls across the auditorium and another sing song to wrap up.

What a gorgeous and magical production that all ages would enjoy and I’m so pleased it came to life so well on the stage. The little one sat perfectly still for the 60 minute show and was totally spellbound.

This is a must for all ages. From younger tots, to older children, parents and grandparents. Although it may appear only suitable for little children, I do think primary school aged children would also enjoy it.

We left with the feel-good factor ready to go and read the book 100 times over.

Thanks for having us Royal and Derngate, you brought an hour of calm to the festive madness and memories to treasure.

The Jolly Christmas Postman runs until Tuesday 31 December on the Royal stage while Cinderella features on the larger Derngate stage also until New Year’s Eve.

For tickets visit Royal and Derngate here

Production photos by Robert Day.