Winnie and Wilbur: A Christmas Adventure is a heart-warming production that will inspire the imagination of any young Winnie The Witch fan. Skilfully low-key, the show shuns the razzle-dazzle of bigger Christmas productions and delivers an hour of earnest and engaging song, slapstick, and delightful puppetry.

Starring Emma Boor as Winnie, Amantha Edmead as Wilbur, and Krage Brown as everyone/thing else and chief puppeteer, this adaptation captures the essence of Valerie Thomas's stories, combining several of the books’ most well-loved and recognisable adventures into a new Christmas escapade.

Boor embodied the affably clumsy Winnie with infectious energy, while Edmead brought Wilbur’s long-suffering resignation to life, and Brown delivers a diverse suite of familiar characters, from a lovestruck ‘French’ jellyfish to gently depressed Rudolph, often to hilarious effect.

The narrative was easy to follow, filled with humour and warmth and punctuated with plenty of audience interaction to keep even the most distracted of the little ones on the pulse. Children were encouraged to participate by being each equipped with their own magic wand which they used to help Winnie get in and out of various scrapes, and of course to chant “Abracadabra!” many, many times. This interactive element ensured the experience was not just a show to watch, but an adventure to be part of.

The Winnie books would not be the same without Korky Paul's kooky-spikey illustrations, which are brought to life not only in the set and costumes of this production but also by the puppets that looked as though they had leaped off the page, from a slithery snake to the famed robo-space rabbit.

The play was tailored perfectly for younger children and offers a gentle introduction to live theatre. I took my 6-year-old son as well as my almost ten-year-old daughter and both thoroughly enjoyed themselves, so don’t be afraid of taking the slightly older ones along too.

I would argue that Winnie The Witch sits among the most celebrated of Oxford’s children’s literature legacy. Though my kids are now (sob) moving on from these stories to grittier minimally illustrated tomes, they were the foundation for us reading together as a family, and for a parent, a rare chance to be genuinely entertained and engaged as you did.

Lastly, some sincere - if minimal - words from my kids:

“It was really good,” – Luca, age 6.
“I loved the interactive experience with the wands”- Poppy, age 9.

Winnie and Wilbur: A Christmas Adventure is a gentle festive delight – entertaining, engaging, witty, and warm.