London theatre: one of the best household reveals to e book now
London has a world-leading theatre scene, and it’s significantly sturdy in relation to household reveals. Head to the West End, and past, and also you’ll discover every part from beloved Disney movies-turned-enthralling musicals to progressive, accessible reveals that includes puppetry, comedy, songs and extra.
If you’re attempting to resolve which London youngsters’s theatre to start out with in 2024 – maybe as a deal with through the faculty holidays – and whether or not will probably be appropriate for your loved ones, our knowledgeable Telegraph critics may help you select with their incisive opinions. All the most recent articles are at Telegraph Theatre. We’ve additionally rounded up the finest London performs and musicals, and the finest household reveals for half time period.
You can discover discounted tickets on Telegraph Tickets for all the finest reveals for teenagers, reminiscent of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Frozen and The Lion King. Check out our record of high picks for London musicals and performs for teenagers beneath and get reserving.
The finest youngsters’s reveals, at a look
- Best present for 3-6 12 months olds – My Neighbour Totoro
- Best present for 6-10 12 months olds – The Lion King
- Best present for 10-17 12 months olds – Six
Best youngsters’s theatre in London’s West End and past
Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book, Little Angel Theatre
In a nutshell: Charlie is attempting to persuade his sister that there’s a complete world inside a e book. This new adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s youngsters’s favorite guarantees puppets, songs and a celebration of the enjoyment of studying.
Age advice: 3+
Booking till: Feb 4
My Neighbour Totoro, Barbican ★★★★
In a nutshell: “Totoro is magnificently humongous with a mighty, reverberating growl, wicked smile, lumbering walk and bouncy castle of a fluffy tum. The wow-factor of his spectacular appearances is worth the price of admission alone.” Read the total overview
Age advice: 4+
Booking till: Mar 23
Tidy, Polka Theatre
In a nutshell: The Polka theatre and Theatr Iolo be a part of forces for this world premiere: an adaptation of Emily Gravett’s pretty youngsters’s e book about valuing the atmosphere round us. Features puppets, authentic music and a dose of silliness.
Age advice: 3+
Booking: Feb 10-Mar 24
Bear Snores On, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
In a nutshell: Cush Jumbo, Katy Sechiari and Harry Blake provide this new musical adaptation of Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman’s e book in regards to the brave Mouse, who meets new associates amid a brewing storm.
Age advice: 4+
Booking: Mar 23-Apr 21
Shrek The Musical, Eventim Apollo
In a nutshell: There’s Shrektacular summer season leisure on the best way with this blockbuster staging of the laugh-out-loud, fairy-tale-subverting animated film. Antony Lawrence, Brandon Lee Sears and Joanne Clifton star.
Age advice: 3+
Booking: Jul 19-Aug 31
The Tiger Who Came To Tea, Theatre Royal Haymarket
In a nutshell: Join Sophie, her mummy and a shock stripy visitor on this gloriously madcap adaptation of Judith Kerr’s beloved image e book. There’s singalong songs, clumsy antics and magic galore.
Age advice: 3+
Booking: Jul 8-Sept 1
The finest reveals for 6-10 12 months olds
The King and I, London Palladium ★★★★
In a nutshell: “The whole affair is a satisfying blend of bombast and subtlety. Many of the songs remain transcendently lovely, chief among them that invitation to madly polka, Shall We Dance?.” Read the total overview
Age advice: 5+
Booking till: Mar 2
Romeo and Juliet, Polka Theatre
In a nutshell: The venue is premiering a brand new 60-minute hip-hop manufacturing of Shakespeare’s play, retold by means of rap, rhythm and harmonies, and with the story moved to south London.
Age advice: 6+
Booking: Mar 2-Apr 4
The Lion King, Lyceum Theatre ★★★★
In a nutshell: “Watching the show alongside my rapt children, I was struck by how much it succeeds in speaking to the heart rather than the head… A deeply felt celebration of life.” Read the total overview
Age advice: 6+
Booking till: Jun 2
Mrs Doubtfire, Shaftesbury Theatre ★★★★
In a nutshell: “Never doubt I love Mrs Doubtfire, the feelgood but not fluffy-minded musical that has pitched up at the newly made-over Shaftesbury Theatre… A sure-fire hit, my dears.” Read the total overview
Age advice: 6+
Booking till: Jun 2
Frozen the Musical, Theatre Royal Drury Lane ★★★★★
In a nutshell: “It’s pure West End spectacle, exactly what you want for a production likely to be many kids’ first experience of theatre, and told with a blazing passion that is surprisingly affecting.” Read the total overview
Age advice: 6+
Booking till: Jun 2
Back to the Future: The Musical, Adelphi Theatre ★★★★★
In a nutshell: “Thanks to video and illusionist wizardry, the steam-spouting DeLorean skids into view from nowhere and takes off over the stalls, achieving a kind of 3D Hollywood magic… A feelgood triumph.” Read the total overview
Age advice: 6+
Booking till: Jul 21
Mamma Mia!, Novello Theatre ★★★★
In a nutshell: “Phyllida Lloyd’s slick production is still a tremendous crowd-pleaser… Buoyed by Abba’s enduring brilliance, it’s a welcome shot of pure sunshine.” Read the total overview
Age advice: 5+
Booking till: Sept 28
Matilda The Musical, Cambridge Theatre ★★★★★
In a nutshell: “Matthew Warchus’s thrilling, warm-hearted production, exuberantly designed by Rob Howell and with pin-sharp choreography by Peter Darling, constantly combines comedy with a sense of wonder.” Read the total overview
Age advice: 6+
Booking till: Dec 15
The finest reveals for 10-17 12 months olds
Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Phoenix Theatre ★★★★★
In a nutshell: “Netflix gives the West End its event of the year… The jaw-dropping coups range from the infernal, supernatural engulfing of a hulking US battle-ship to acts of levitation.” Read the total overview
Age advice: 12+
Booking till: Jun 30
Guys & Dolls, Bridge Theatre ★★★★★
In a nutshell: “Nicholas Hytner’s box of tricks, the Bridge, unleashes the show all around you if you’re one of the 380 punters standing in the thick of it… It’s an extravaganza that explodes every which way.” Read the total overview
Age advice: All ages (under-16s should be accompanied by a accountable grownup if shopping for immersive standing tickets)
Booking till: Aug 31
Les Miserables, Sondheim Theatre ★★★★★
In a nutshell: “In its density and epic ambition, its mixture of high-powered ideas and gut-wrenching emotions, it’s a show that feels lastingly revolutionary.” Read the total overview
Age advice: 7+
Booking till: Sept 28
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Palace Theatre ★★★★★
In a nutshell: “British theatre hasn’t known anything like it for decades and I haven’t seen anything directly comparable in all my reviewing days… It raises the benchmark for family entertainment.” Read the total overview
Age advice: 10+
Booking till: Sept 29
Six, Vaudeville Theatre ★★★★★
In a nutshell: “This infectiously fun production is packed with witty touches… A heart-warming, air-punching finale has everyone up on their feet. I expect these queens to rule the West End for years to come.” Read the total overview
Age advice: 10+
Booking till: Nov 3
The Play That Goes Wrong, Duchess Theatre ★★★★
In a nutshell: “Seldom has disaster delivered so many belly laughs… This spoof am-dram staging of an Agatha Christie whodunit is the perfect recipe for absurd slapstick.” Read the total overview
Age advice: 8+
Booking till: Nov 3
Wicked, Apollo Victoria Theatre ★★★★
In a nutshell: “Joe Mantello’s production has satisfyingly old-school bombast: instead of screens, its impact comes from the detailed, fabulously over-the-top steampunk design. The orchestra is the biggest in the West End – and it shows.” Read the total overview
Age advice: 7+
Booking till: Dec 15
Frequently requested questions
Can youngsters go to all theatres in London?
Most West End reveals are appropriate for individuals aged 12 or older. Some productions may need materials that’s too mature for youthful theatregoers. However, there are additionally improbable household reveals that are applicable for all ages, or that are particularly geared toward youngsters – together with shorter youngsters’s reveals with components like puppetry and singalongs.
We have included the official manufacturing age suggestions with all of our London present picks on this web page, however you may all the time seek the advice of the theatre in query for additional data to make sure the present is appropriate to your youngsters. Find one of the best offers on London household reveals at Telegraph Tickets.
Can I take a 1 or 2 12 months previous to the theatre?
The majority of London theatre reveals are geared toward youngsters from ages 3 upwards not less than. The longer working instances, and components like busy lighting and sound design, plus extra mature materials, most likely received’t swimsuit 1 or 2 12 months olds. Most productions advocate that 3 12 months olds or older ought to attend.
However, there are some London performs and musicals for 1 or 2 12 months olds. For instance, youngsters’s theatres just like the Polka Theatre, Half Moon Theatre, Unicorn Theatre and Little Angel Theatre host productions geared toward very younger youngsters, in addition to enjoyable interactive workshops. Find all the most recent suggestions for London youngsters reveals and extra at Telegraph Theatre.
Are youngsters booster seats accessible?
Some, although not all, theatres present booster seats – for instance, Nederlander theatres (which incorporates the Dominion Theatre, Aldwych Theatre and Adelphi Theatre) lease booster seats for £1 if you happen to ask a member of employees. They additionally present booster cushions, accessible on a primary come, first served foundation. Some venues will even have peak restrictions in order that patrons sitting behind you may nonetheless see. If you wish to verify forward of time about booster seats, contact the theatre field workplace.
Is there storage accessible for my stroller?
That is determined by whether or not the theatre has a cloakroom the place you may retailer giant gadgets, like suitcases and strollers (often for a small cost, round £1 or £2). This does fluctuate throughout totally different venues, so it’s value contacting the theatre forward of time to verify. In most instances, the cloakroom will open about 45 minutes earlier than the present begins, and you may retailer gadgets throughout the present.
Can I convey my very own snacks and drinks into the the theatre?
Some theatres, particularly within the West End, received’t can help you convey your individual snacks and drinks in, except it’s one thing like a sealed bottle of water. That’s as a result of they promote foods and drinks within the theatre and that’s a part of how they carry in income. If you’ve issues about dietary necessities, you may contact the theatre beforehand to make preparations. Plus it’s a part of the enjoyable of a theatre outing, treating your self and your youngsters to a drink or an interval ice cream.
Are there frequent breaks all through the length of a efficiency?
If it’s a present for a basic viewers, there’ll often be one interval of round quarter-hour; actually lengthy reveals may need two intervals. Very sometimes a present received’t have an interval in any respect. You can discover that data on Telegraph Tickets and different reserving or theatre web sites, or verify with the field workplace. Most reveals designed particularly for youthful audiences may have brief working instances, like an hour or much less. However, if it’s worthwhile to exit the theatre extra incessantly, for instance for a bathroom break, child-friendly venues will are usually extra relaxed about that – maybe attempt to e book close to the top of a row so that you don’t disrupt different viewers members when coming and going.
Source: telegraph.co.uk
