MULTILINGUAL FAMILY
IN LONDON

One of the things I have come to appreciate most about raising a child in the UK is how accessible live theatre is for younger children. Children’s plays and musicals are not treated as occasional special events but as a normal part of family life.

Many of these shows are based on much-loved children’s books, and the quality often surprises me. While I am no expert on stage production, I have consistently been impressed by the standard of the performances. The acting is engaging, the singing is strong, and the productions are put together with a level of care and professionalism that makes them genuinely enjoyable even for adults as well as children.

Over the past few years, we have watched a number of shows together. I thought it would be nice to keep a record of the performances we have enjoyed along the way.

Tales From Acorn Wood

Recommended: 1+ / Seen: Oct 2023

Based on the beloved children’s book by Julia Donaldson, Tales From Acorn Wood was the first theatre performance we ever saw together.

Because the original stories are quite short, the production combines four tales into a one-hour show. One thing that particularly stood out to me was the puppetry. Rather than actors wearing animal costumes, the performers brought near-life-size puppets to life on stage. It was the first time I had seen this style of puppetry in person, and I was genuinely impressed.

Our daughter was not quite two years old at the time, so I wasn’t entirely convinced she would sit through an hour-long performance. To my surprise, she watched attentively from beginning to end. I think I spent as much time watching her reactions as I did watching the show itself.

More than the performance, what I remember most is how emotional the experience felt. Sitting in the theatre with my daughter, I realised we had reached a stage where we could start sharing these experiences together.

I also remember the date unusually well. After feeling rather pleased with ourselves for successfully surviving our first theatre trip, we went for lunch and my phone was promptly stolen.

So this day remains memorable for two reasons: our first theatre outing together, and my first experience of being pickpockted!

Dear Santa

Recommended: 1+ / Seen: Dec 2023

After our surprisingly successful first theatre trip, we came away thinking, “Perhaps this is something we can actually do.” To celebrate her second birthday, we booked tickets for Dear Santa, based on the popular picture book by Rod Campbell, creator of Dear Zoo.

If I’m being honest, I found this one a little less engaging as an adult. But then again, I wasn’t really the target audience. The appearance of Santa and his elf was enough to completely win over the children in the audience.

One of the nicest touches came after the performance. As it was Christmas season, families had the opportunity to meet Santa and have a photo taken in his Grotto. It was my daughter’s first time meeting Santa, and I still smile when I look at the photo of her looking both fascinated and slightly terrified.

Afterwards, each child received a lovely Dear Santa paper gift bag filled with colouring activities and stickers. It was a small detail, but one that made the whole experience feel particularly thoughtful and child-friendly.

Spot’s Birthday Party

Recommended: 2+ / Seen: May 2024

This is one show I can’t personally review, as my husband took her while I enjoyed a rare afternoon to myself.

The post-show verdict was simple: she loved it.

Based on the Spot books, the show featured actors performing in full character costumes and centred around a birthday party theme—two things that were always likely to be a hit with a preschooler.

My strongest evidence comes from the fact that she returned home wearing a paper crown decorated with Spot characters and looking thoroughly pleased with herself. That seemed like a fairly reliable sign that it had been a success.

Blippi: The Wonderful World Tour

Recommended: 2+ / Seen: Aug 2024

I think this was around the time I gradually expanding our screen-time repertoire, accompanied by the usual parental guilt. In an attempt to make screen time feel at least somewhat educational, we went through a brief Blippi phase. And that’s when I discovered that Blippi show was coming to London.

The show took place at the Harold Pinter Theatre in Piccadilly. Up until then, most of the performances we had attended had been in smaller local theatres, so I was quite impressed to see a preschool show staged in such a beautiful and historic West End venue.

What I hadn’t anticipated was the seating. Following the logic I had used for local theatres, I booked seats in Row B, only to discover that the stage was much higher than we were used to. For large parts of the performance, it felt as though we were watching from directly underneath the stage.

As for the show itself, she enjoyed it, but it was probably one of the few performances that didn’t leave a particularly strong impression on her. Perhaps that was because we were never especially devoted Blippi fans to begin with. Compared to the other children’s productions we had seen, this felt less like a theatre show and more like a concert for existing fans. Many children arrived dressed as Blippi, which was quite entertaining to see.

I also couldn’t help finding it mildly amusing that the performer was not the original Blippi from the YouTube videos, while the production did its best to maintain the illusion that he was. That’s perfectly normal in theatre, of course, but Blippi is such a personality-driven character that I found myself noticing it more than I normally would. (I suspect many parents would feel the same if they turned up to a Ms Rachel show and discovered that Ms Rachel wasn’t actually her.)

Peppa Pig’s Fun Day Out

Recommended: 3+ / Seen: Dec 2024

I took her to see Peppa Pig’s Fun Day Out to celebrate her third birthday. At the time, she was deep in her Peppa Pig phase and insisted on bringing her Peppa toy along.

Unlike many of the children’s productions we had seen, which were based on picture books, this was essentially a live version of a television programme. Nobody buys a ticket to a Peppa Pig show expecting high drama, and it delivered exactly what the audience had come for: familiar characters, plenty of energy, and a theatre full of excited preschoolers.

And yet, somehow, I ended up in tears. 😂

There was a scene where butterflies appeared on stage, and it completely caught me off guard. Perhaps it was seeing my daughter so engrossed in the performance, or perhaps parenthood has simply made me more sentimental.

One thing I appreciated was the casting. The actress playing the show’s human narrator was Asian, which was nice to see in a major children’s production. Representation is something I notice more now that I’m a parent than I ever did before.

Pirates Love Underpants

Recommended: 3+ / Seen: Apr 2025

This wasn’t one of the better-known children’s book we had come across, but our local theatre was staging it, so I booked tickets on a whim.

In a slightly last-minute attempt to prepare, I tried to borrow the book from the library before the performance. Unfortunately, all the copies seemed to be out on loan. Not wanting to arrive completely unfamiliar with the story, I found a copy online and read it to my daughter for a few days beforehand.

What I hadn’t expected was how much I would enjoy the show. Unlike some children’s productions, it didn’t seem overly concerned with delivering a life lesson or tugging at the audience’s heartstrings. It was simply funny, energetic, and entertaining.

The songs were surprisingly catchy, the staging was more inventive than I had anticipated, and there were some impressive puppetry elements, including a pirate captain brought to life as a puppet. It felt like one of those productions where the creative team had clearly had a lot of fun putting it together.

I can’t say for certain whether I enjoyed it more than my child did, but it remains one of the children’s shows that pleasantly exceeded my expectations. I’d happily watch it again.

The Koala Who Could

Recommended: 3+ / Seen: May 2025

Based on the popular picture book by Rachel Bright and Jim Field, The Koala Who Could is probably one of the best-known titles in their animal series, alongside The Lion Inside and The Squirrels Who Squabbled. I have always enjoyed the book, so I was looking forward to seeing it on stage.

This may be an unpopular opinion, but the production didn’t quite work for us. While many of the children’s shows we had seen before relied on fairly straightforward storytelling, this one felt much more stylised and theatrical. The koala was portrayed using a large puppet operated by the actors, and the show took a more abstract, artistic approach to storytelling and character interactions. Compared with many of the other productions we had seen, it felt less intuitive and harder to follow.

I’m sure some families appreciated that approach, but I found it less engaging than other shows. At times, even as an adult, I struggled to stay fully invested, and my daughter was similarly restless. It may simply be that the production is better suited to slightly older children than mine was at the time.

That said, I have heard excellent things about the stage adaptation of The Lion Inside, which many consider the standout production in the series. I’d still love to see that one if we get the chance.

CoComelon: Sing-A-Long Live

Recommended: 0-4 / Seen: Aug 2025

CoComelon was the very first animation our daughter ever watched, and for that reason alone it holds a special place in our family’s memory. It was one of the few shows she genuinely loved and returned to again and again during her toddler years.

By the time we saw CoComelon: Sing-A-Long Live, she was already past her third birthday, so it felt as though we might have missed the ideal window slightly. Even so, the familiar songs immediately drew her in.

What surprised me was how emotional I found the experience. The show itself was enjoyable, but what I was really responding to were the memories attached to the songs. Each one seemed to transport me back to a different stage of her early childhood.

More than a theatre performance, it felt like a nostalgic trip through the soundtrack of her toddler years. For that reason alone, it became one of my favourite shows we have seen together.

I should also mention that Miss Appleberry was every bit as cheerful, energetic, and wholesome as you would hope.

Stick Man

Recommended: 3+ / Seen: Nov 2025

Another adaptation of a Julia Donaldson classic, Stick Man was one of the few performances we attended after school. Until then, we had almost always gone to the theatre on weekends or nursery-free days. This was the first time we headed straight to a show after school, and I remember wondering whether she would be too tired to enjoy it. Fortunately, she stayed engaged throughout.

One feature that stood out was the music. Rather than relying on a full band or recorded soundtrack, a single performer played multiple instruments from one side of the stage, accompanying the action as the story unfolded. It added a lovely live element to the production and was impressive to watch.

Interestingly, the style of the production reminded me a little of The Koala Who Could. Both relied on more theatrical and stylised storytelling rather than the straightforward narrative approach of some of the shows aimed at younger children.

It also made me realise that productions recommended for children aged 3 and above often feel like a noticeable step up in complexity. The stories, staging, and performances seem to ask a little more of the audience’s attention and imagination.

The Tiger Who Came to Tea

Recommended: 3+ / Seen: Nov 2025

Based on Judith Kerr’s classic, The Tiger Who Came to Tea is one of those children’s productions that almost fees like a rite of passage in the UK.

This is one of the few shows on the list that I didn’t see myself, but my husband did. As a result, I can’t offer much in the way of a detailed review.

What I can report is that they came back thoroughly impressed and declared it one of their favourites. Interestingly, I had also heard the opposite from a friend beforehand, who found it a little underwhelming. As with most theatre, I suspect expectations and personal taste play a large role.

Either way, my daughter seemed to have a great time, which is ultimately the review that matters most.

Sleeping Beauty

Recommended: 2-14 / Seen: Feb 2026

I had been wanting to take my daughter to a ballet show for some time. Since she had started ballet classes herself, it felt like a nice way to introduce her to the art form. For some reason, though, ballet always seemed to carry a slightly higher barrier to entry than children’s theatre, so I kept putting it off. When I found a local production of Sleeping Beauty, it felt like the perfect opportunity.

We had previously read a simplified children’s version of the story at home, but watching the ballet made me realise how hazy my own memory of the plot had become. There were moments when I found myself wondering, “Was that in the story?” Because there is no dialogue, I think it helps to be fairly familiar with the plot beforehand to follow what is happening on stage.

I suspect some of the finer details were lost on my daughter, but that didn’t seem to matter too much. She was completely captivated by the costumes and happily watched the dancers sweep across the stage.

Of course, Sleeping Beauty exists in many different versions, and I imagine experiences vary considerably depending on the company’s production.

There’s a Monster In Your Show

Recommended: 2+ / Seen: May 2026

This is the most recent one we have seen together.

Tom Fletcher’s Who’s In Your Book? series already feels like a modern classic from a new generation of children’s authors. What began with There’s a Monster in Your Book has since grown into a whole collection featuring unicorns, superheroes, dragons, and more.

In fact, when our daughter turned four, we bought the ten-book boxed set and included individual ones in the party bags for her friends. That said, the original Monster book was the only title we had actually read before seeing the show.

The production used the book as its starting point but added plenty of original material. Alongside Monster, there were dragon, alien, and unicorn—essentially a greatest-hits collection of things preschoolers tend to love. Unsurprisingly, it went down very well with the audience.

The overall message was a familiar one about friendship and teamwork, but what stood out more to me were the songs and the staging. There were several genuinely catchy musical numbers, and the finale featured a clever theatrical trick that made it appear as though the characters were returning to the pages of the book.

Of all the children’s shows we have attended so far, this was the only one that allowed photography and filming during the performance.

Closing

Not every show was a masterpiece, and not every theatre trip was entirely memorable for the right reasons. But taken together, these performances have become part of our family’s story.

I remember far more than the plots or the songs. I remember a first theatre outing, a first meeting with Santa, unexpectedly crying during a Peppa Pig show, and countless moments of watching her experience something new.

I’m sure there will be many more theatre trips in the years ahead. Some will be better than others, but I hope we’ll continue collecting memories along the way.