Durham Fringe Festival 2026
Walking with the Wind
From China
Genre: Children's Theatre, Puppetry
Venue: Assembly Rooms Theatre
Festival: Durham Fringe Festival
Low Down
“Adapted from the picture book by acclaimed Chinese illustrator Xiong Liang, Walking with the Wind follows Little Wood Child and the Wind as they travel through forests, caves and fields, meeting a host of playful characters along the way. When exhaustion finally arrives, the Wind gently carries Little Wood Child back home. Through puppetry and music, the piece reveals the Wind’s many forms while reflecting a child’s shifting moods, which shift from mischief to calm, conflict to reconciliation. At its heart, the show celebrates the harmony between humans and nature and the tender bond between parent and child.”
Review
There are a lot of puppets in this production based on a classic book, Xiong Liang’s Walking with the Wind. And every one is a delight of invention, movement, observation and masterly puppetry. Little Wood Child is the central character and his encounter with the mischievous wind leads him on adventures and we encounter all kinds of characters in forest, field and sky. This becomes an opportunity to bring this book lovingly, carefully and respectfully to life on the stage and the puppets and performances are splendid. The craft behind these creations is a treasure to behold on stage.
The ensemble company creates a breathtaking journey (I heard more than a few intakes of breath and “wows” in the audience( and, as with all great puppetry, you soon forget the puppeteers as the various animals come alive. Yet there are also many moments where the puppeteers become prominent and foregrounded with acting and voice, movement both individual and Then it becomes more than puppet-story and is augmented with is physical comedy in sound and movement. A projected backdrop adds to the mood and is apt scenery for the piece. Lighting is unfortunately limited. For example, the bear is poorly lit which is a shame as it is realised with a bit of genius, larger than its parts and reminiscent of War Horse at the National Theatre in the UK.
The narrative is linear, very accessible for younger ones in the audience, a simple journey structure and all of the characters recapitulated at the end. It was a welcome treat to meet the puppets once more before the end. There is a post applause song and dance routine and too Disney-style that stole a bit of the magic. I would suggest taking it out of the show.
Gesture in the piece is stunning – there is such an attention to detail but also a bit of permission to be more generally raucous, for example, with the little chicks. The variety is impressive but the price we pay is that some of the animals feel a bit hurried in the presentation, such as the bear. Less might be a bit more or to sacrifice the repetition of characters in the last part of the show for more depth and re-pacing in the earlier parts.
Overall this is a genuinely stunning, generous and wondrous family show. The puppetry is highly skilled and the puppets are beautifully made and presented.
