Created by Jonathan Rockefeller and Disney Theatrical Productions

Featuring Music from The Sherman Brothers with further songs by A.A. Milne

Aladdin to The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins to Frozen, and Tarzan to the Hunchback – stories from the world’s most extensive entertainment provider for families have often come with a seal of quality, extravagance and a guarantee of a solid experience. But Disney’s latest embarkation into stage adaptation is one of high anticipation, as A.A. Milne and The Sherman Brother’smuch beloved Winnie the Pooh shifts to a stage musical in a familiar, though in some ways too distant musical experience.

The tummy-rumbling short and stout Pooh bear speaks to generations across cultures and nationalities. However, communicating with the audience seems to be the bee in the proverbial bonnet for this musical production. Audio is somewhat muffled and lost amidst the score, and though orchestrated charmingly, some of the character’s dialogue becomes clouded in the ambience and lowered volume and projections of the show.

There is no question about the aesthetical design and admirable intentions behind the seams of this puppetry and physically focused storytelling experience. The design of every character is superb and stitched and manipulated to a fine quality. Recognisable, but with a distinction to avoid being carbon copies of the cartoon-variants, The Rockefeller Productions (with Disney Theatricals) crafts a sumptuous Pooh Corner which shifts in shades of azure and purples to evoke an all-together wonderfully looking production which traverses the weather as Pooh is on the hunt for, what else, but Honey and Christopher Robin.

Working the four-foot puppet of the titular Pooh, Benjamin Durham has the skill and determination to carry much of the production – and it’s near impossible not to erupt into a large smile the moment the world-famous bear ploddles onto the stage for a lovely rendition of ‘A Rather Blustery Day’. There’s a struggle with diction and projection here; one which Sterling Holloway (Kaa from The Jungle Book) and later, the magnificent, Jim Cummings (practically all of your childhood favourites) managed to evade. While Laura Bacon turns in a timid, though still strong-hearted and determined Piglett, often cast to the winds with an adorable kite, fluttering around Harry Boyd, Chloe Gentles, and Lottie Grogan as ensemble characters, Kanga, Roo and the all-too-relatable Rabbit.

The essence of the show, or what it could have been, is captured in Robbie Noonan’s Tigger – which grasps Paul Winchell’s exemplary blustering and forward-throated delivery while instilling a wobbling, bouncing physicality to the show. As too does Alex Cardall, with the lackadaisical and sombre Eyeore, switching to the starchy Owl with relatively quick scene changes.

The warmth is initially there for the nostalgic, but it’s difficult to maintain throughout the story which borrows elements across the One-Hundred Acre Wood Library. The charm, whimsy, and appeal of the red shirt-wearing Pooh has always been the simplicity and earnest connection forged with young (and older) audiences. And regrettably, it’s not entirely here. There’s a clear worry that relaxing or taking things slowly may distract the younger audiences – but that was always the strength of the original; allowing audiences the opportunity to unwind and breathe.

This willy-nilly silly old bear will always ignite happiness for audiences, and so too will this musical adaptation in ways. In scale, Winnie the Pooh is a touch too intimate for a large venue such as the Festival Theatre, though its draw will no doubt accommodate the larger ticket sales. There is heart, there is enjoyment and well-intention, but the magic of the storybook, the films and the animated series doesn’t quite reach the stage in the show’s current incarnation. Winnie the Pooh: The Musical will undoubtedly keep the attention of younger audiences, and those close to the stage likely have an engrossing time, but for those a few rows back, there may just be a touch too much of a detachment from the world’s favourite bear to truly spark the magic required.