I really wasn’t sure what to expect with this Northern Broadsides production billed as a different take on the classic Heidi story. And to be honest I’m still not really sure how to describe it! Is it a pantomime? No, not really. Is it a rip-roaring Christmas Show? Nope. Is it a children’s production? Sort of. But did I enjoy it? Oh, Yes!

This is not a lavish production. There are no huge sets to wheel on and off stage; there isn’t a 12 piece orchestra; there is no chorus line belting out Christmas classics – there are just five actors in the whole show. The actors are dressed as goats, not in a pantomime horse type way, but more in a Chronicles of Narnia way. The costumes are very effective and make you want to go up and stroke them on the top of the head.

The goats literally swallow the words to the story and with the help of Pip (or Heidi) they re-enact the classic story playing all of the memorable characters between them. They make do with a sparse set of props including an old coat, a tyre, some tarpaulin and a farm gate. But that doesn’t matter, it all works. They move the props around with ease and before you know it, you’re in another situation.

The actors are very good particularly the very cheeky one who plays Peter, the goat herder. There are some great songs, with the actors using their own voices to create the music, the alphabet song is really good and you even hear goats attempting to rap (now you don’t hear that every day!).

My only slight reservation about the production as a whole is that it is quite difficult to understand and follow in some places. The goats have their own way of speaking and even as an adult it took a bit of getting used to, I would imagine some younger children might struggle a little. But by the end you are gripped by the storyline and rooting for Heidi, Peter and Clara - you just can’t help yourself.

So getting back to my original question, how would I describe Heidi – A Goat’s Tail/Tale? Well, it is a little gem of a production, slightly off the wall but very funny. A classic story told with a modern twist just about sums it up.  If you want something different this festive season to the normal, traditional pantomime, you should give these cheeky goats a try!

Visit www.stables.org for more information or to book tickets