Christmas has arrived in London and with it a dazzling array of Christmas theatre shows are lighting up the stages of the West End.
From musicals to pantomimes and a host of famous faces there’s a show to satisfy every member of the family, young and old.
We don’t want you to miss out on any of these seasonal spectaculars – that’s why we’ve put together our official guide to Christmas theatre shows in 2022.
Check out our highlights from this season’s programme below:
Elf
Where: Dominion Theatre
When: 11 November – 7 January
Christmas theatre shows don’t get much better than this. Join Buddy and Jovie as this festive movie classic comes to London for a strictly limited 8-week season at the Dominion Theatre.
Elf tells the funny and charming tale of Buddy, who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts as a baby and is transported back to the North Pole and raised as an elf!
Unaware that he’s actually human, Buddy’s enormous size and poor toy-making abilities finally cause him to face the truth and realise he’ll never belong in the North Pole.
With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York to find his birth father, discover his true identity and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.
Elf features a book by Tony Award-winners Thomas Meehan (Annie, The Producers, Hairspray) and Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone), with songs by Tony Award nominees Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer).
Jack And The Beanstalk
Where: London Palladium
When: 10 December – 15 January
Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum – A GIANT panto comes to The London Palladium!
Join comedy superstars Dawn French and Julian Clary, with Alexandra Burke making her Palladium pantomime debut, as they lead the cast of a brand-new production of Jack And The Beanstalk at London’s iconic home of pantomime.
The West End’s panto will feature returning Palladium favourites Paul Zerdin, Nigel Havers and Gary Wilmot, along with a lavish set and beautiful costumes designed especially for London’s biggest panto.
This is one Christmas theatre show you really don’t want to miss out on.
Mother Goose
Where: Duke of York’s Theatre
When: 15 December – 29 January
The whole nation is flocking to see Ian McKellen and John Bishop as they join forces to bring you a hilarious family-friendly panto.
Meet Mother Goose (McKellen) and her husband Vic (Bishop). Running an Animal Sanctuary for waifs and strays, they live a wholesome life inside an abandoned Debenhams. But when a magical goose comes a-knocking, will fame and fortune get the better of them?!
From the imaginations of Jonathan Harvey (Coronation Street, Gimme, Gimme, Gimme) and Cal McCrystal (‘Britain’s funniest director’ Guardian) comes the MOTHER of all Christmas theatre shows.
Mother Goose is the ultimate theatrical feast – full of fun, farce and surprises that will make you honk out loud.
Father Christmas Needs A Wee
Where: Arts Theatre
When: 13 – 24 December
At every house, Father Christmas eats and drinks the tasty treats that have been left for him.
But when he reaches number ten he realises he’s forgotten to do something rather important and he really, really, really needs a WEE!
This TaleGate Theatre Production hits the perfect combination of witty humour, fantastic music and the extra sparkle for which they have become known in this fabulously funny and brilliantly bouncy musical adaptation of Nicholas Allan’s much-loved book.
Disney’s Frozen
Where: Drury Lane, Theatre Royal
When: Until 18 June 2023
The beloved animated film that always gives us chills is now a musical playing in the West End to much fanfare.
Join Elsa and Anna as they hit the stage in this heart-melting theatrical production.
With incredible special effects, jaw-dropping scenery, and all the songs you know and love, Frozen The Musical, London, is an unmissable experience that will stay with you long after the curtain falls.
Featuring brand-new music from Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, writers of the unforgettable Let it Go, this is one of London’s unmissable Christmas shows.
Potted Panto
Where: Apollo Theatre
When: 17 December – 8 January
The Olivier Award-nominated festive celebration is back for four weeks only!
This hilarious 70-minute madcap ride of the biggest stories and best-loved characters from the wonderful world of pantomime is one of the best Christmas theatre shows of 2022.
The whole family will love this dastardly double-act dash – from rubbing Aladdin’s lamp to roaming the golden streets of Dick Whittington’s London and making sure that Cinderella gets to the Ball.
It’s all unmissable fun, whether you’re six or 106.
A Christmas Carol
Where: Rose Theatre
When: 2 December – 2 January
It’s a cold Christmas Eve on the snowy stress of Victorian London, and preparations for another meagre Christmas are well underway. But not for Ebeneezer Scrooge – the cruellest, wealthiest woman in town.
Scrooge hates charity, she hates carol singers, and most of all… she hates Christmas.
Join the children of the town and Charles Dickens as they take Scrooge on a time-bending, enchanting journey of self-discovery to confront her past, present and future.
Can Scrooge open her heart to undo years of misdeeds before it’s too late?
This brand-new retelling of Charles Dickens’ timeless classic from Olivier Award-winning writer Morgan Lloyd Malcolm (Emilia) features new songs by Eamonn O’Dwyer (Beauty And The Beast) and is directed by Rosie Jones (Hansel & Gretel).
Step into this heartwarming tale of generosity and forgiveness, and experience the spirit of Christmas London theatre with the whole family.