Review: Counting Sheeps,  Polka Theatre

Every parent who has ever felt completely flummoxed by their baby’s inability to fall asleep – despite trying everything they can possibly think of – will chuckle warmly when watching Counting Sheeps, The Herd’s latest 30-minute piece for babies (0–3 years). Currently playing at Polka Theatre before touring across the UK this autumn, it’s a tender and humorous reflection of that all-too-familiar bedtime struggle.

This beautifully crafted four-hander theatre experience features a stylish and varied musical score –both live and recorded – composed by Ysabelle Wombwell and played in the show by Sam Caseley on guitar. Like the unpredictable rhythm of a parent’s day with their baby, the music ebbs and flows with each moment, gently framing the evolving bond between our two protagonist sheep.

As the audience enters and settles into a cushioned, knitted, pillow-filled green fieldscape, we feel almost like little sheep ourselves. We’re greeted by the truculent, playful ‘child’ sheep (Parkey Abeyratne) and the exasperated ‘parent’ sheep (Finlay McGuigan), who bleat and bumble about in convincingly sheepish fashion. Particular praise to McGuigan, who, as the play progresses, makes it hard for you not to become completely mesmerised by his performance, to the point that I actually believed him to be a sheep, such was the detail of look, gesture and sound play, especially when trying to speak words and sing. Astonishing.

This is a visually gorgeous experience (design by India Harvey). From our field of cushions, we see gentle hills framed by a tie-dye duvet-style skyscape that feels like stars looking down on us. We meet glow worms that flit from baby to baby, are treated to a puppeted knitted sheep chase across the undulating countryside and laugh at the frantic transformation by the ‘parent’ sheep of his stringy wool fleece into beautifully crocheted pink pyjamas. At one point, as part of the less-than-successful bedtime routine that includes at Stage 1 “bath time” – according to the self-guide book that flew in from the countryside on a gusty wind (as it would of course, like some magic fairy) – our intrepid sheep peer into a flexible tap that gushes bountiful bubbles into a bath. These frothy bubbles are then playfully explored, smeared and thrown at each other before being mischievously shared with the eager babies and parents watching on. Much fun is had. 

If there is one criticism, it lies in the inclusion of the shadow puppet duck story (Stage 3: “book at bedtime”). While beautifully told and underscored with gentle music, the shift to this duck world feels slightly disconnected. In darkness, with the sheep momentarily absent from the narrative, the babies grew a little restless, suggesting the engagement dropped during this section as our sheep were no longer the focus. That aside, Counting Sheeps is another fine example of The Herd’s commitment to child-centred, tactile, musical, and accessible theatre (simple BSL is used throughout). It’s gentle, thoughtful, and lovingly made. The piece concludes with a charming ‘stay and play’ session, where the audience is invited to explore a bounty of knitted and tie-dyed props, all in the lush, cohesive colour palette of the show.

Created by The Herd from Ruby Thompson & Sam Caseley’s concept
Composer: Ysabelle Wombwell
Director: Ruby Thompson
Dramaturg: Sam Caseley
Designer: India Harvey

Counting Sheeps is recommended for ages 0-3 and runs at Polka Theatre until Sunday 24 August, before undertaking a tour across the UK.