What begins as a send-up of mid-century crime noirs and spy thrillers in Please Right Back becomes a moving and thoughtful story about two working-class children, Kim (Chardaè Phillips) and Davey, coping with their father’s imprisonment. Writing from prison, Mr E (Stefan Davis) keeps his children’s spirits up with whimsical stories about the top-secret mission he’s been assigned to, but as school bullies and government agencies disrupt the children’s lives more and more, reality catches up with them.

Please Right Back is an absolute masterclass in blending animation with live theatre. As Mr E traverses the world from the Bermuda Triangle to London and to the inside of a whale’s stomach in search of a mysterious briefcase, he interacts with animations on screen behind him. And what incredible animations they are. The style is charmingly scratchy and higgledy-piggledy, with more than a hint of German expressionism. Every backdrop is stunning to look at and each animated character so full of life and personality; in fact, it’s easy to forget that Kim’s little brother Davey is just a drawing. What’s even more remarkable is the precision with which the cast acts alongside these animations, so at various points they appear to be shot with arrows or stirring a pot. 

Mr E’s adventures manage to be both gripping and laugh-out-loud funny, made all the better by intermittent musical numbers. Some of the catchiest involve psychopathic pirates with a softer side and a circus lion missing his cubs (with all these wacky characters populating the show, it’s amazing that they’re all played by just four actors). The stand-out song, however, is his duet with Kim, where he says how he would comfort her if they lived in a Disney film. It’s affecting, lovely and not unlikely to bring a tear to your eye.

Among all this, Please Right Back expertly weaves its social commentary into the story’s fabric. Mr E’s fantasy world naturally falls away as Kim and Davey become more affected by their family’s financial situation, the loss of their father, and the increasingly common visits from Sally (Lara Cowin), a mysterious government figure determined that children should be productive and obedient. Please Right Back uses all of these elements to create a poignant but joyful celebration of family and childhood with all the messiness that entails. 

Please Right Back, The Studio, until 11 August, 7pm; also 7, 10 & 11 August, 2pm.