Huddle, Unicorn Theatre, 2018
Photo: Alicia Clarke
Photo: Alicia Clarke

Children’s theatre in London: the best shows for kids of all ages

From tiny tots to older kids, we've got your next family theatre trip covered with the best children’s theatre in London

Andrzej Lukowski
Advertising

Hello – I'm Time Out’s theatre editor and also a parent, something that has considerable overlap in London, a city with three dedicated kids theatres and where pretty much every other theatre might play host to a child-friendly show.

Listing everything would be a slightly psychotic undertaking and probably not that illuminating, as many kids’ shows are only on for a day or two. So instead this round up forcusses on the flagship shows at London’s kids theatres – that’s the Little Angel, the Unicorn and Polka – plus other major shows aimed at or suitable for youngsters.

On the whole, pre-school and primary children are the age groups best served specifically, because secondary school aged teenagers can generally see adult theatre perfectly well (and will indeed often be made to do so!). So while the odd teen focussed show will make it in here, if you’re looking for something to do with teens why not consult our reviews page or what to book list.

Our London kids’ theatre page normally contains information for all the main children’s shows running in London theatres this month and next month, and is broken down into three categories.

Theatre for all the family is suitable for any age, including adults without children.

Theatre for older children is specifically aimed at school-age children and teenagers.

Theatre for babies, pre-schoolers and younger children does what the title suggests, and also includes shows suitable for younger school-age children.

See also:
50 things to do in London with kids.
The best child-friendly restaurants in London.
The top 9 museums in London for kids.

Theatre for all the family

  • Musicals
  • Covent Garden
The Lion King
The Lion King

Nothing prepares you for the sheer impact of The Lion King's opening sequence: the adburdly successful Disney musical may have been around for decades, but there’s a good reason for that.

Advertising
  • Musicals
  • Seven Dials
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended
Matilda the Musical
Matilda the Musical

Matthew Warchus's RSC production of Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin’s Roald Dahl adaptation remains a treat.

  • Children's
  • Holborn
The Snowman
The Snowman

Birmingham Rep’s ballet spin-off of Raymond Briggs’ dreamy Christmas classic is a little creaky – it’s almost 30 years old – but it is a classic in its own right, and still inspires rapture in the two-to-eight-year-old target audience and nostalgic sniffles in their middle-aged parents.

Advertising
  • Musicals
  • Wembley
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

Quite possibly the most aggressively ‘80s artefact in existence, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Starlight Express’ is a musical about anthropomorphic roller skating trains that often feels like being forced to watch ten consecutive episodes of some trashy Saturday morning action cartoon…

Theatre for primary school children and older

  • Children's
  • Brixton

Brixton House’s Christmas show is a riff on Lewis Carroll’s timeless classic. In this co-production with Poltergeist, 11-year-old Alice doesn’t fall down a Victoria rabbit hole… instead Wonderland is an out-of-control tube train that she accidentally boards at Brixton Undergound Station: we’ve all been there, right? For ages seven-plus.

  • Children's
  • Wimbledon

While it can feel like around three-quarters of the shows on in London over the Christmas period are productions of the ballet The Nutcracker, the big Christmas show from Polka Theatre is something a little different, being a new non-dance version of the classic seasonal fairy story from leftfield theatre stalwarts Little Bulb. For ages five to 12.

Advertising
  • Children's
  • Tower Bridge

Aimed at ages seven-plus, this Neil Gaiman stage adaptation follows unlikely hero Odd after he encounters Odin, Thor and Loki, who have all been turned into animals by the villainous giants.

Theatre for babies and pre-schoolers

  • Children's
  • Tower Bridge

This delightful show for younger children about Papa Penguin’s heartfelt but somewhat inept attempts to look after his family returns for Christmas.

  • Children's
  • Leicester Square

Peppa Pig has been churning out live shows for years now, essentially on stage recreations of various bits of classic episodes with added singing and a human interlocutor. It’s not particularly Christmassy, though in previous iterations Santa has popped up at the end.

Advertising
  • Children's
  • Shaftesbury Avenue

A witch soars across the skies  and picks up a few animal pals along the way  in this adaptation of the best-selling picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffer. It's created by Tall Stories, who've created a host of loveable stagings of storybook favourites, and uses their typical combo of sing-a-longs, puppetry, and quirky humour. Ages three-to-eight.

  • Children's
  • Islington
The Singing Mermaid
The Singing Mermaid

Samantha Lane and Barb Jungr’s delightful pupet-powered 2012 adaptation of Julia Donaldson rarity The Singing Mermaid returns as the Little Angel’s Christmas show for younger kids, ages three to eight.

Advertising
  • Children's
  • Seven Dials

This Little Angel adaptation of a lesser known but thoroughly delighhtful Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler picture book about a scruffy but kind hearted giant has given the tiny puppet theatre a big West End hit, as it returns to play its second Christmas at St Martin’s Theatre. Ages two to eight.

  • Off-West End
  • Bloomsbury

Freckle Productions returns with its splendid puppet-driven family adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's popular book. The hapless Stick Man's domestic idyll – living up a tree with his Stick Lady Love and their trio of stick sprogs – is shattered when an enterprising dog mistakes him for a common or garden piece of wood. Ages three-plus.

New theatre this month

Recommended
    London for less
      You may also like
      You may also like
      Advertising