Looking to entertain the family this half-term? Worried that the kids will get bored after two days and you’ve still got five WHOLE days to fill with affordable, fun activities?
Check out this list of shows to see during May half-term week, including productions that are putting on extra matinee performances just to help keep the kids entertained for a few more hours!
Disney’s Aladdin
With the live-action remake of Aladdin hitting the cinemas, now has never been a better time to have the magic of this Disney classic come to life in front of your very eyes!
This production features breath-taking sets, over 350 incredible costumes and mind-blowing special effects, you’ll feel like you’re really in Agrabah! Plus it features the absolute tunes of Friend Like Me and A Whole New World to bop along to!
And you don’t need a magic genie, connections to the Princess or a flying carpet to be part of the action, simply book a ticket to see the show right here on Official London Theatre!
Come From Away
Winners of four Olivier Awards, including Mastercard Best New Musical, Come From Away is a show not to be missed this half-term.
The show tells the incredible story of the 7,000 passengers who were grounded in Gander, Newfoundland following the 9/11 attacks. The people of Gander opened their homes, churches, schools and community centres, and took care of the “plane people” until the airspace opened again.
Not only is this an amazing story, but it’s also a fairly short musical, running at 1hr40 with no interval, so you won’t have to worry about keeping the kids entertained and in their seats during the break.
You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll immediately book a second trip to see the show so you can become an honorary islander again.
The Comedy About A Bank Robbery
Ideals for family members who are fond of slapstick and silliness, witness the worst criminals ever in The Comedy About A Bank Robbery.
Created by the same team who brought you The Play That Goes Wrong (who we’ll go onto shortly…), this ridiculous, spectacular show has everything you’d need in a comedy; mistaken identities, love triangles, and of course, a seagull.
Full of twists on genre tropes, and packed with daring set-pieces, The Comedy About A Bank Robbery is a hilarious showcase of slick theatrical inventiveness and hilarious, quip-filled wordplay. It’d be criminal to miss it!
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Going out of the darkness and into the spotlight, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is the uplifting story of teenager Jamie New, who wants to be a drag queen and wear a dress to his school prom.
Based on a true story (and inspired by the BBC documentary, Jamie: Drag Queen at 16), this show received five Olivier Award nominations last year, including Best Theatre Choreographer, Mastercard Best New Musical and Outstanding Achievement in Music.
Currently guest starring in the show is the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Bianca Del Rio as Jamie’s mentor, Hugo/Loco Chanel, and singer Faye Tozer as his teacher, Miss Hedge.
Disney’s The Lion King
If your family are fans of Disney’s The Lion King, you don’t need to get on a plane to experience the Serengeti, just book to see the stage show!
Bringing the well-loved Disney classic to the stage using incredible performers and exquisite puppetry that will have your jaw drop in disbelief, it’s not hard to see why this award-winning musical is now in its 20th year in the West End.
Featuring Elton John’s classic score, as well as some brand-new songs that you’ll be downloading on the way home, the whole family will be singing The Circle Of Life for the rest of half-term, but it’s totally worth it!
Mamma Mia!
Your kids may not have been born when ABBA were at the height of their success, in fact they may not have even been born when this musical first came out in 1999 (or even the movie version in 2008!), but it doesn’t mean they won’t still enjoy the absolute bangers that are in this show.
No one can resist dancing to the show’s score, including the hits “Dancing Queen” “Waterloo” and “Money, Money Money”. And if the music doesn’t inspire them, the eye-catching costumes will!
Matilda The Musical
The well-loved Roald Dahl story of Matilda, the little girl who loved to read, has been a huge success since it first arrived in the West End back in 2011. It’s won seven Olivier Awards, four Tony Awards, 86 international awards and stolen the hearts of thousands of audience members. The show is an anarchic, hilarious, heart-warming and ingenious adaptation of the classic Dahl tale.
The show’s music and lyrics come from award-winning, mischief-loving Australian musician and comedian Tim Minchin, with beloved songs including Naughty, Quiet, Revolting Children and School Song.
And what’s even better is there’s an extra matinee performance during half-term week, so there will be 2pm shows on both Wednesday 29 and Thursday 30 May 2019.
The Play That Goes Wrong
We told you that we’d be mentioning this show, didn’t we!
In this Olivier-award winning show, the Cornley Polytechnic Drama is trying to put on a production. But the director is having the worst night of his life as he struggles with actors who don’t know their lines, falling sets, misplaced props and more! Anything and everything could go wrong in this show, and it always does!
School Of Rock – The Musical
For the kids who like to rock out on instruments rather than practice what their music teacher has told them to do, School Of Rock – The Musical is perfect.
Based on the Jack Black comedy of the same name, the show is about Dewey Finn, a wannabe rock-star who’s desperate for cash. He decides to lie about who he is, and his qualifications, to land a teaching job at a prestigious school. But when Dewey finds out the kids he teaches are also talented musicians, he decides to enter them in a battle of the bands’ contest. The musical features all of the original songs from the movie, alongside 14 new songs and music written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Glenn Slater.
The show features an incredibly talented group of children, who all play their instruments live on stage like the true rock stars they are.
Wicked
Think you know everything about the wicked witch from the Wizard Of Oz? Think again!
Based on the best-selling book, Wicked will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about the story of Oz. You’ll witness an alternative backstory of Elphaba, Glinda The Good and the residents of Oz themselves, and not everything is as it seems!
A winner of two Olivier Awards, Wicked is the 9th longest running musical in West End history, and has been seen by over 55 million people in more than 130 cities. Famous for its principal casts, the current West End Wicked cast includes Alice Fearn (Elphaba), Sophie Evans (Glinda) and David Witts (Fiyero).
For more shows to take the family to this half-term check out our theatre tickets page!