Can it really be nearly Christmas again? As more than a few mince pieces have already been munched in the Official London Theatre office and the West End has been strewn with lights willy-nilly, it seems another festive season is well and truly upon us just 12 months after the last.
But what that does mean is that families can look forward to enjoying a festive trip to the theatre, and what an abundance of treats they will discover in this year’s theatrical stocking! Visit Official London Theatre’s cleverly-titled Christmas Shows page for a comprehensive list of all… Christmas shows, but for a little more detail read on for our pick of the highlights in store this year.
West End Wendies
There has been an increasing trend in recent years for big West End houses to run a daytime children’s show alongside their regular tenant, and this year is no exception. Kids’ favourite The Gruffalo is enjoying another West End visit at the Garrick theatre, Peppa Pig is partying on down at the Criterion and Dan and Jeff go potty for panto at the Vaudeville. For little ones, there’s the chance to meet Santa at the Ambassadors theatre as The Night Before Christmas offers the full grotto experience.
First Time Festives
Theatres are embracing Christmas like never before this year, with several venues hosting their first ever family show. The most high profile is the Royal Court, which has roped in well-known playwright Anthony Neilson to write a brand new show, Get Santa! There is a reason Pinkalicious The Musical is the first children’s show at Waterloo East theatre: the venue only opened in September! But it aims to please little ones with this pink, sweet treat. The BAC may be no stranger to entertaining kids, but The Great Escape (A Borrower’s Tale) gets a mention for its novel approach: a mission through the bowels of the building to find and save The Borrowers. Lastly, this Christmas is a first for 1970s cloth cat Bagpuss, too. The pink and white feline makes his stage debut at Soho theatre in a show that should appeal to nostalgic parents as much as children.
Panto People
There’s nothing like pantomime to bring an unlikely face to London’s theatre scene. This year’s unlikeliest must be former Baywatch star David Hasselhoff who is taking a leaf out of fellow lifeguard Pamela Anderson’s book and treading the boards at New Wimbledon theatre this year. If The Hoff’s (Captain) Hook doesn’t float your boat, catch Anita Dobson in Sleeping Beauty in Richmond or the king of panto dames, Clive Rowe, who will light up Hackney Empire once more in Jack And The Beanstalk.
Tempting Treats
Katie Mitchell’s The Cat In The Hat was a highlight of last year’s seasonal shows, so fans will be keen to catch the director’s second family offering at the National Theatre, Beauty And The Beast. Likewise fans of choreographer Matthew Bourne will be eagerly awaiting his Second World War-set version of Cinderella at Sadler’s Wells. Other unmissables include Little Angel’s puppet production of Alice In Wonderland, the Young Vic’s adaptation of David Almond story My Dad’s A Birdman – featuring a score by the Pet Shop Boys – and Maria Friedman in the Menier Chocolate Factory’s magical, musical production of HG Wells’s science fiction novella The Invisible Man.
For a full list of Christmas shows for all ages, visit our Christmas Shows page now.
CB