By Grace Hatchell

I’ve delivered enough Christmas cards in my time to know families come in all shapes and sizes. There’s always somebody causing a flap, somebody wondering when dinner is, and somebody who’s been judged before they’ve even taken their coat off.

Which brings me rather neatly to Honk!, heading to the Barn Theatre in Cirencester from 21 November 2026 to 3 January 2027.

George Stiles and Anthony Drewe’s Olivier Award-winning musical gives The Ugly Duckling a musical makeover, complete with unexpected friendships, mistaken identities and wild goose chases. Actual geese, mind. None of this wandering round a shopping centre trying to find the husband you left outside Boots.

Our young hero is Ugly, a duckling whose appearance sets him apart from the rest of the brood.

His siblings and other farmyard residents aren’t exactly falling over themselves to make him welcome. Honestly, some creatures could do with spending five minutes considering whether every thought needs announcing.

When Ugly becomes lost and finds himself in danger, he sets off on an adventure to discover where he belongs. Along the way, there are unusual encounters, new friendships and the growing realisation that there’s rather more to him than the neighbours have bothered to notice.

It’s a story about individuality, acceptance and looking beyond appearances. All useful things to remember at Christmas, especially when someone arrives wearing a jumper that appears to have its own electricity supply.

The announced cast includes Claire-Marie Hall, whose credits include Operation Mincemeat and Les Misérables, with Timi Akinyosade taking on the role of Ugly. His credits include Paddington The Musical and Man Like Mobeen.

Joining them are Molly Cheesley, Maz McGinlay, Nikki Biddington, Silas Wyatt-Barke, Daniel Robinson and Joseph Claus. Between them, their credits include Hairspray, Cats, Heathers the Musical, The Prince of Egypt, Phantom of the Opera and My Fair Lady.

That’s a fair amount of theatrical experience to squeeze into one farmyard. I hope somebody’s organised the dressing-room pecking order.

Rachael Proud joins on multi-reed and Ted Hayes on drums, helping bring those Stiles and Drewe songs to life.

There’s also an opportunity for four local young performers to join the production as Ducklings and Froglets, with paid roles available.

Auditions take place at the Barn Theatre on Saturday 24 October 2026, with rehearsals beginning on 26 October ahead of opening night on 21 November.

The theatre is looking for confident young performers with singing, acting and dance skills, and welcomes applicants of all genders and appearances.

I do like seeing local talent given a proper opportunity. Somewhere nearby, a youngster could be practising in the living room, blissfully unaware they might soon have a professional engagement as a Froglet.

A splendid addition to any CV, if you ask me.

Ryan McBryde directs the production, with choreography by Joanna Goodwin, musical direction by Ben Ward, and musical supervision and orchestration by Lee Freeman.

Harry Blumenau CDG handles casting, while the production team includes Production Manager Dan Weager and Company Stage Manager Niamh Percy.

They’ll be bringing together a musical that has already enjoyed more than 8,000 productions worldwide and picked up the Olivier Award for Best Musical along the way.

Eight thousand productions. Even my Christmas delivery round starts looking manageable beside that.

Honk! brings a different sort of bird to the Christmas proceedings, with witty storytelling, memorable songs and a young character trying to find his place in the world.

There’s plenty of room for laughter in that adventure, alongside a message about kindness that doesn’t suddenly stop being useful once you’re old enough to pay council tax.

I’ll be interested to see how the Barn brings this particular flock to the stage. Ugly has quite a journey ahead of him, and I suspect a few audience members will be firmly in his corner before he’s got very far.

Go on, lad. Give ’em something to honk about.

Honk! runs at the Barn Theatre, Cirencester, from Saturday 21 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027.

Tickets are on sale now through the Barn Theatre website.