Looking for inspiration? Check out our picks of the best West End and other family shows – from toddlers to teenagers
Dominic Cavendish Chief Theatre Critic
Dominic Cavendish has been writing about theatre and comedy since the mid-1990s and became the Telegraph's lead theatre critic in 2014. He is the founding editor of the leading audio resource theatrevoice.com, now run by the V&A. In 2008, he adapted and produced the first UK stage adaptation of George Orwell’s Coming Up for Air.
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Whether you want to introduce your tots to the theatre with stage adaptations of familiar favourites such as Hercules and Paddington, or make Tudor history exciting for teenagers with Six the Musical, our chief theatre critic has picked the best shows and musicals on offer for every age group.
You can buy discounted tickets for shows such as Matilda the Musical and The Lion King with Telegraph Tickets.
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- Ages 0-4
- Ages 4-8
- Ages 8-12
- Teenagers
The best shows by age group
Ages 0-4
The Flying Bath
When everyone leaves the house, bath toys spring into action for exciting adventures in their magical flying bath! From showering muddy piglets to putting out fires for frightened baboons, they have water ready for any emergency. Julia Donaldson and David Roberts’ playful story splashes into life in Samantha Lane’s adaptation featuring catchy songs.
Little Angel Theatre, London, until July 12
Age recommendation: 2-5
Running time: 45 minutes
Tickets: littleangeltheatre.com
Whatever the Weather
From dancing in a snow storm to building an ice castle and basking in the sun, parents and their children can get closer to nature and uncover the wonders of weather in this interactive play installation. Separate play sessions for under-3s.
Unicorn Theatre, London, July 3 – Aug 16; Theatre Hullabaloo, London, Sept 2- Feb 6
Age recommendation: 0-7
Running time: 40 minutes
Tickets: unicorntheatre.com
Home Song
After a sold-out run last year, this much-admired piece, developed with Talawa theatre company, is back at the Unicorn for babies and their grown-ups. Written, directed and composed by theatre-maker Cassiopeia Berkeley-Agyepong, it follows young Adwoa and her mum on a journey from the Ghanian city of Kumasi to London, featuring puppetry, interactive soundscapes and a cappella singing.
Unicorn Theatre, London, Oct 2-Nov 8
Age recommendation: 6-18 months
Running time: 30 minutes (plus play time)
Tickets: unicorntheatre.com
Ages 4-8
Hercules
Disney stage adaptations tend to be conceived with a ruthless eye on the film’s existing fanbase. Not this theatrical version of the 1997 animated riff on the Hercules myth, which is pointedly – and triumphantly – aimed at families with young children rather than the original’s numerous disciples. Adaptors Kwame Kwei-Armah, the Young Vic’s former artistic director, and Tony award-winning script writer Robert Horn have made a few transgressive changes, but the result retains the original’s goofy knockabout humour and refusal to take itself seriously.
Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London, until July 18
Age recommendation: 6+
Running time: 2 hours and 10 minutes
Book ticketsvia Tickets | Telegraph Media Group provided by London Theatre Direct
Julie Taymor’s richly achieved translation of Disney’s roaring success has become the highest-grossing Broadway show of all time, and almost three decades on, it still feels as fresh and dynamic as ever. The story follows young lion prince Simba who must learn to survive his father’s death and reclaim the throne from his vicious uncle. Assisted by 46 energetic performers, and rousing music courtesy of Elton John and Tim Rice, it answers to the description of “spellbinding” even if, ultimately, it’s not entirely earth-shattering.
Lyceum Theatre, London, until Nov 1
Age recommendation: 6+
Running time: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Book ticketsvia Tickets | Telegraph Media Group provided by London Theatre Direct
My Neighbour Totoro
The multi-award-winning stage adaptation of Studio Ghibli’s beloved 1988 animated film has been triumphantly brought to the West End. The enchanting tale follows sisters Satsuki and Mei who move to the countryside to be near their convalescing mother’s hospital.
When little Mei encounters magical creatures, including the ancient forest protector she calls “Totoro,” both sisters are swept into a long-forgotten realm of spirits. Totoro himself is magnificently humongous with a bouncy castle of a fluffy tum. Tom Morton-Smith’s gentle, philosophical adaptation has a beguiling strangeness that captures all the original’s magic.
Gillian Lynne Theatre, London, until Aug 30
Age recommendation: 4+
Running time: 2 hours
Book ticketsvia Tickets | Telegraph Media Group provided by London Theatre Direct
Showstopper! The Kids Show
Olivier Award-winning West End improvisers The Showstoppers take kids’ ideas and turn them into musical adventures from scratch. As they themselves say: “If your children could create their very own dream musical – where would they start? Shaun the Sheep meets Dora at a magic castle? Done! Peppa Pig and Spiderman explore a spooky graveyard? No problem!” Parental advisory: kids’ suggestions only (but the show is fit for all ages); expect liberated flights of fancy, achieved in breathless real-time.
Cambridge Theatre, London; monthly performances until July 27
Age recommendation: All ages
Running time: 1 hour
Tickets: showstopperthemusical.com
Horrible Histories: Live on Stage
This year, the Birmingham Stage company tours the two Horrible Histories books that got the gory ball rolling for actor-teacher turned publishing phenomenon Terry Deary in 1993: The Terrible Tudors and The Awesome Egyptians. The Egyptians have been upgraded to ‘Awful’: discover the foul facts of death and decay amid the mummies, and get to know some not so great things about Ramesses the Great. In Terrible Tudors, you hear tales of the torturing Tudors, discover the fate of Henry’s headless wives, and survive the Spanish Armada. The BBC has gone big on Horrible Histories for years, but Neal Foster’s productions use 3D-projections and old-fashioned rollicking theatricality to banish any whiff of classroom tedium or screen-dependency.
Touring until Nov 8 (Storyhouse, Chester); venues include Nottingham Theatre Royal, Bristol Old Vic and His Majesty’s, Aberdeen
Age recommendation: 5+
Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Tickets: birminghamstage.com
Toto the Ninja Cat and the Great Snake Escape
Toto is no ordinary cat. Almost blind, she has ninja skills and gets up to lots of adventures at night. When a deadly King Cobra escapes in London, it’s up to Toto and her brother Silver to save the day. Based on This Morning presenter Dermot O’Leary’s bestselling book, this new family musical features puppetry and purrfect harmonies.
Little Angel, London, until July 19, 2026; then touring until Nov
Age recommendation: 5+
Running time: 50 minutes
Tour dates: littleangeltheatre.com
The Gruffalo
Tall Stories’ musical adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s classic picture book returns to celebrate its 25th anniversary on stage: a milestone for a production now seen by over three million people in 18 countries. The story remains a charmer: Mouse, on a daring adventure through the deep dark wood, outwits Fox, Owl and Snake with tall tales of the scary Gruffalo. But is there really no such thing? Songs, puppetry, laughs and mischievous fun, directed by Olivia Jacobs with tickets from just £10.
Lyric Theatre, London, July 17-Sept 6; also on tour to over 30 venues including the Lowry, Salford (July 3-6)
Age recommendation: 3+
Running time: 55 minutes (no interval)
Tickets: tallstories.org.uk/the-gruffalo; Lyric box office: nimaxtheatres.com
A World Elsewhere
A celebration of the Shakespearean imagination from the Olivier-nominated team behind family shows Rough Magic and Midsummer Mechanicals. Written by Kerry Frampton and Ben Hales, A World Elsewhere follows Cass, a boy whose adventures with imaginary friends inspired by his grandma’s love of Shakespeare start to pall, sending him on a quest to restore the magic. Directed by Lucy Cuthbertson, the candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse feels right for a show about stories’ ability to illuminate the world.
Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Shakespeare’s Globe, London, July 25-Aug 30
Age recommendation: 5+
Tickets: shakespearesglobe.com
Dog Man: The Musical
After multiple sell-out Off-Broadway seasons and US tours, the European premiere of this exuberant musical adaptation of Dav Pilkey’s successful children’s US graphic novel series arrives in the UK this summer. Best friends George and Harold have decided to write a musical about their favourite character: Dog Man, the crime-biting sensation who is part dog, part man, and all hero. With the head of a dog and the body of a policeman, can he save the city from Flippy the cyborg fish and his army of Beasty Buildings? Big-hearted fun with book and lyrics by two-time Emmy winner Kevin Del Aguila and a score by Brad Alexander.
Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, London, July 30-Aug 16; also touring to Leicester Curve (July 16-19), Cardiff Wales Millennium Centre (October 16-17) and many more venues nationwide
Age recommendation: 5+
Tickets: southbankcentre.co.uk; dogman.live for tour dates
Ages 8-12
War Horse
The most successful play in the history of the National gallops home, nearly two decades after its world premiere – and following a recent UK and Ireland tour. Adapted by Nick Stafford from Michael Morpurgo’s 1982 novel. At its heart is the timeless story of Devon farm boy Albert and his beloved horse Joey, sold to the cavalry at the outbreak of the First World War. Too young to enlist, Albert sets out on an extraordinary journey from rural England to the trenches of France to bring him home. The life-sized horse puppets created by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company remain a benchmark for theatrical ingenuity and imagination-stirring wonder.
Olivier Theatre, National Theatre, London, until July 30
Age recommendation: 10+
Running time: 2 hours 45 minutes (including interval)
Matilda the Musical
This musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s mischievous children’s book has been running in the West End since 2011, with Matilda struggling to pursue her passion for reading while stuck with her TV-loving parents and brother. Her real test comes when she’s sent to school and meets headmistress Miss Trunchbull, who punishes children in outlandish ways. Matthew Warchus’s RSC production brings the show to life with witty, hummable songs by Tim Minchin, choreography by Peter Darling, and a cast of delightful children. The best new British West End musical of the 21st century.
Cambridge Theatre, London, until Jan 17 2027
Age recommendation: 6+
Running time: 2 hours and 35 minutes
Book ticketsvia Tickets | Telegraph Media Group provided by London Theatre Direct
Oliver!
Cameron Mackintosh’s reconceived production with Matthew Bourne, the director and choreographer, of Lionel Bart’s classic was the biggest success in Chichester Festival Theatre’s history before transferring to the West End. This more compact, rough-edged staging with fewer frills fits snugly into the Gielgud, telling Dickens’ story of orphaned Oliver Twist and his underworld adventures with Fagin and his pickpockets. The sensational score includes Food Glorious Food, Consider Yourself, You’ve Got to Pick-a-Pocket or Two and As Long As He Needs Me. Simon Lipkin makes for a brashly personable Fagin.
Gielgud Theatre, London, until Oct 4
Age recommendation: 7+
Running time: 2 hours and 40 minutes
Book ticketsvia Tickets | Telegraph Media Group provided by London Theatre Direct
Wicked
This spellbinding juggernaut has been defying gravity since 2006, telling the untold story of the green-skinned outcast Elphaba (later the Wicked Witch of the West) and perky blonde Glinda the Good. What makes this musical special is its focus on a complex female friendship rather than romance, as the pair go from mutual loathing to BFFs at magical Shiz University. With moral seriousness about the treatment of minorities wrapped in spectacular entertainment, this revisionist origin story was before its time. Joe Mantello’s production delivers old-school bombast with an over-the-top steampunk design. Stephen Schwartz’s power ballads and Winnie Holzman’s smart book create something that’s subversive, schmaltzy and wise at the same time.
Apollo Victoria Theatre, London, until Jan 2027
Age recommendation: 7+
Running time: 2 hours and 45 minutes
Book ticketsvia Tickets | Telegraph Media Group provided by London Theatre Direct
Paddington the Musical
London has a new tourist attraction: Paddington Bear has been brought to life in a funny, feel-good, family-friendly musical that looks set to run and run. Based on Michael Bond’s beloved books and the award-winning Studiocanal films, Jessica Swale’s script follows Paddington’s wide-eyed arrival in London, his comic mishaps with the adoptive Brown family, and pursuit by dastardly taxidermist Millicent Clyde. Luke Sheppard’s production is stylishly set within a monumental evocation of Mr Gruber’s curiosity shop. With songs by Tom Fletcher (McFly), highlights include a glorious, hallucinogenic knees-up in praise of marmalade and Bonnie Langford’s show-stopping Mrs Bird. Pure novelty value.
Savoy Theatre, London, until Feb 2027
Age recommendation: 6+
Tickets: paddingtonthemusical.com
Pocket Money
A child-friendly ride into the world of finance. This premiere from experimental theatre-makers Nigel Barrett and Louise Mari uses an interactive voting system, a mischievous clown and a DJ set to get young heads spinning with thoughts about how money works. Developed in consultation with financial experts and supported by the Bank of England, it’s a must for budding financial whizz-kids.
Unicorn Theatre, London, Sept 26-Nov 1
Age recommendation: 7-11
Running time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Tickets: unicorntheatre.com
The Jungle Book
Can NT boss Indhu Rubasingham crack Rudyard Kipling’s beloved family tale? It’s her first big festive show on the Olivier stage. Set in the Indian mangrove forest of the Sundarbans, Hiran Abeysekera (Olivier-winning for Life of Pi) leads as man-cub Mowgli, who must discover where he belongs. Anupama Chandrasekhar adapts, with puppetry from Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell; will the original score from Spanish composer Fernando Velázquez rival that familiar Disney magic?
Olivier Theatre, National Theatre, London, Nov 13-Feb 6 2027
Age recommendation: 7+
Running time: TBC
Tickets: nationaltheatre.org.uk
Teenagers
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
The eighth Potter story brings the magic back to life in this triumphant theatrical event. Shifting 19 years after Voldemort’s defeat, the story follows Harry’s son Albus and Draco’s son Scorpius as they use an illegal time-turner to change the past, with knotty ramifications. British theatre hasn’t known anything like it for decades. This production thrills at the aura of possibility with wands erupting fire, Dementors descending from on high and lightning-fast stagecraft that makes you wonder “how on earth do they do that?” At heart, it concerns universal themes of growing up, family relationships, and healing psychological damage. A triumph that grips, stirs and delights.
Palace Theatre, London, until Sept 2026
Age recommendation: 10+
Running time: 5 hours (two parts)
Book ticketsvia Tickets | Telegraph Media Group provided by London Theatre Direct
Co-creators Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss have created a witty, magpie-minded sonic onslaught that remixes 500 years of “her-storical heartbreak into a 75-minute celebration of sisterly sassitude”. The format is a mock Tudor talent-show where Henry VIII’s six wives compete to see who had it worst, taking us beyond the kindergarten mnemonic “Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived.” Dressed to kill in punkish variants of period dress, the sextet strut through Hamilton-like rap, heart-stopping soul, Hi-NRG beats and girl-power anthems.
Vaudeville Theatre, London, until Jan 2027
Age recommendation: 10+
Running time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Book ticketsvia Tickets | Telegraph Media Group provided by London Theatre Direct
Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Netflix’s first stage venture proved the theatrical event of 2023 – an ambitious production that combines state-of-the-art video wizardry with theatrical tricks. This Fifties-set prequel takes us to Hawkins in 1959, when trouble starts brewing after troubled newcomer Henry Creel as he arrives with weird powers and a perturbed past. Expect striking coups de theatre including acts of levitation and jolting violence. Operating at a frequency that fizzes synapses, this extended episode-like production makes you feel you’ve entered a shadowy, dreamy realm. A timely boost for the West End. for the West End.
Phoenix Theatre, London, until Dec 20
Age recommendation: 12+
Running time: 3 hours
Book ticketsvia Tickets | Telegraph Media Group provided by London Theatre Direct