The Family Stage

REVIEW: The Great Big Bug Show (Half Moon Theatre) Poet, Simon Mole and singer-storyteller, Gecko have teamed up again for another family show filled with word play and ear-worms. Quite literally this time, as their latest collaboration is all abou…

"the perfect production to keep young audiences buzzing with excitement"

Read our full review of The Great Big Bug Show by the delightful duo ofMole and Gecko at @halfmoontheatre.bsky.social. #FamilyTheatre #ChildrensTheatre #TYA

www.thefamilystage.co.uk/2026/03/06/r...

REVIEW: Hopeful Monsters (Well Walk Theatre) Hopeful Monster is an innovative collaboration between three puppeteer-makers (Ella Mackay, Eti Meacock and Bori Mező) who hail from Scotland, England and Hungary respectively. Named after the biol…

Hopeful Monster has the audience "eating out of the palms of their very talented hands". Read our full review of their phenomenal puppetry piece, Hopeful Monsters at The Well Walk Theatre. #FamilyTheatre #TYA #Puppetry

www.thefamilystage.co.uk/2026/02/22/r...

REVIEW: Brave Bettie, Half Moon and Z-Arts (Half Moon Theatre) Tatenda Naomi Matsvai returns to Half Moon Theatre as an Offies finalist, with their inaugural play, Hot Orange (a collaboration with Amal Khalidi as part of Half Moon’s Narratives of Empathy…

"a really enjoyable production that celebrates both the connection between cultures and the connection we all have to the earth". Read our full review of Brave Bettie at @halfmoontheatre.bsky.social #TYA #ChildrensTheatre

www.thefamilystage.co.uk/2026/02/10/r...

REVIEW: Peter Pan: A Pantomime Adventure (Greenwich Theatre) Panto season may roll around every year, but somehow it never gets old. Many children get their first taste of theatre at a panto, and go on to share this childhood rite of passage with their own f…

"if you want to recapture the magic of childhood, take the second star to the right (or the DLR to Cutty Sark) and straight on until Croom's Hill." Read our full review of the ever-excellent Greenwich panto:

www.thefamilystage.co.uk/2025/12/13/r...

Thanks @chloenelkin.bsky.social for the tickets.

REVIEW: Jack and the Beanstalk (Watford Palace Theatre) I’ll be upfront: I don’t like panto. In fact, I even put it in my reviewer bio—“Dislikes: Panto – change my mind.” So when the invitation came for Jack and the Beanstalk at Watford Palace Theatre, …

"it was impossible to resist the sheer joy of a show designed to make you feel very happy indeed."

Our reviewer is a panto convert! See what she thought of Jack & the Beanstalk at Watford Palace Theatre.

www.thefamilystage.co.uk/2025/12/05/r...

Thanks to @chloenelkin.bsky.social for the tickets.

REVIEW: The Gruffalo’s Child (The Lyric Theatre) Tall Stories’ The Gruffalo’s Child has returned to London for the festive season at the Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue – the West End’s oldest surviving theatre. Created in 2006, this much-loved…

"the interactive moments with the audience were abundant and joyful."

Read Bedfordshire Mum and Teddy's full review of The Gruffalo's Child.

www.thefamilystage.co.uk/2025/12/03/r...

"a shining example of how dance can bring people together like nothing else"

Read our full review of Adam Garcia's Emerald Storm:

www.thefamilystage.co.uk/2025/12/03/r...

Thank you @chloenelkin.bsky.social for inviting us.

REVIEW: How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? (Unicorn Theatre) A Unicorn Theatre and Told by an Idiot production

"they’ve nailed the Christmas show"

Bedfordshire Mum and Teddy loved How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? at @unicorntheatre.bsky.social. Read their full review below: www.thefamilystage.co.uk/2025/11/30/r...

Thanks again to @chloenelkin.bsky.social for the tickets!

REVIEW: The Grim (Southwark Playhouse, Borough) Spooky season may be over, but something supernatural seems to be lingering at Southwark Playhouse. Following sold-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe and the Old Red Lion, The Grim haunts the theatre…

"an entertaining black comedy that is held back by its brevity, but could be truly breathtaking if resurrected in an extended form."

Read our full review of #TheGrim at @swkplay.bsky.social
www.thefamilystage.co.uk/.../review-t....

Thanks @chloenelkin.bsky.social for inviting us!

We have 3 very different reviews coming up today. Bedfordshire Mum's been to @unicorntheatre.bsky.social for How does Santa go down the chimney? Mummy saw comedy horror, The Grim at @swkplay.bsky.social and we had a family outing to The Emerald Theatre for Emerald Storm last night.

OCTOBER HALF TERM 2025: Tried and tested theatre for families Half term is upon us once more – the dark, damp and dreary one where the summer seems a distant memory but Christmas still feels far away. For Londoners looking for indoor options to entertai…

Check out our guide to #ChildrensTheatre in London this #HalfTerm, featuring our tried and tested shows at Polka Theatre, Unicorn Theatre and London Transport Museum.

www.thefamilystage.co.uk/2025/10/26/o...

REVIEW: The Monkey’s Paw, Infinite Space Theatre (The Hope Theatre) Trigger warning: This review discusses a production containing themes of child loss and miscarriage. W.W. Jacobs’s most famous work, The Monkey’s Paw is a ghost story with a straightfor…

The Monkey's Paw at The Hope Theatre "ceases to be a scary story and ends up being a cautionary tale of a different kind."

Read our full review of this adaptation of the Edwardian ghost story about being careful what you wish for.

www.thefamilystage.co.uk/2025/10/25/r...

REVIEW: Fanny (King’s Head Theatre) Following its 2024 premiere at The Watermill Theatre, Calum Finlay’s comedy play about the overlooked German composer, Fanny Mendelssohn is now playing at the King’s Head Theatre. Retur…

"an entertaining production throughout, beginning as a light comedy full of witty wordplay before lurching into full-blown farce in Act 2."

Read our full review of Fanny at @kingsheadtheatre.bsky.social

www.thefamilystage.co.uk/2025/10/22/r...

"Parking is such sweet sorrow"

REVIEW: The Three Little Pigs (Unicorn Theatre) Stiles and Drewe’s new family musical, The Three Little Pigs opens at the Unicorn Theatre for an autumn run before trotting off to Chichester Festival Theatre for the festive period. We follo…

"With its catchy tunes, colourful chaos, and just enough wolfish charm, this show is set to be a festive hit when it lands at Chichester this December."

#TYA #MusicalTheatre

Read our full review of The Three Little Pigs at @unicorntheatre.bsky.social at bit.ly/4h7yg8U

REVIEWS: A Noise Annoys and Irish Storytelling for Children (Lambeth Fringe) Lambeth Fringe (the performing arts festival formerly known as Clapham Fringe) is in full swing. Organised by the team behind the Bread & Roses Theatre, the festival offers something for all ag…

We caught two lovely family shows at @vauxhallcityfarm.bsky.social City Farm last weekend as part of @lambethfringe.bsky.social

Check out our reviews of A Noise Annoys by wordsmith extraordinaireJude Simpson and Irish Storytelling for Children by Neysa Killeen.

bit.ly/4h6Xjcf

REVIEW: The Elves and the Shoemaker (Greenwich Theatre) The Greenwich Theatre repertory company have been busy little elves this summer. Not only has the six-strong team been performing The 3 Musketeers, but a rotating trio has been doubling up to enter…

"it’s good to see young audiences being encouraged to view Crocs as a crime against fashion!"

Read our full review of The Elves and the Shoemaker at Greenwich Theatre. #TYA #ChildrensTheatre

www.thefamilystage.co.uk/2025/08/27/r...

REVIEW: The Enormous Crocodile (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre) This summer’s family production at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is a musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile. A vibrant jungle adventure with puppets, peril, a…

"a delightful family outing in a great venue"

We sent our new recruits to Regent's Park Open Air Theatre to find out what really happens when you smile at a crocodile. Check out what they thought of "The Enormous Crocodile". #RoaldDahl #FamilyTheatre #TYA

www.thefamilystage.co.uk/2025/08/23/r...

REVIEW: The 3 Musketeers (Greenwich Theatre) A trip to the Greenwich Theatre summer show has very much become a tradition here at The Family Stage, so we were delighted to be invited back again this year. For the first time since their inaugu…

"The 3 Musketeers is another fantastic summer production from Greenwich Theatre which offers a tasty amuse-bouche ahead of panto season".

www.thefamilystage.co.uk/2025/08/10/r...

It is day 1 of the summer holidays and I would like it to be day 1 of the new school year tomorrow, please and thank you.

REVIEW: The Smeds and the Smoos (Lyric Theatre) Tall Stories (creators of The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom) kick off a summer residency at the Lyric Theatre with their adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s The Smeds and The Smoos.…

They jetted off on a family trip to Lyric Theatre yesterday to see The Smeds & the Smoos.
Read their review to hear all about their intergalactic theatrical adventure.

Thanks to @tallstorieslive.bsky.social and @aboutgracepr.bsky.socialfor the tickets!

www.thefamilystage.co.uk/2025/07/20/r...

Welcome to our brand new reviewer, Bedfordshire Mum, who joins the Family Stage team along with 3 year old mini-reviewer, Teddy. 🎉

We're very excited to have another reviewer on board, giving us scope to cover more fabulous family theatre!

REVIEW: As You Like It, East London Shakespeare Festival (Riverside East, Stratford) Founded in 2021 with the aim of bringing high quality Shakespeare productions to the local community, East London Theatre Festival (ELSF) has expanded its horizons this year, venturing outside East…

East London Shakespeare Festival are back with their unique brand of "madcap, musical mayhem". Check out our review of As You Like It, which is touring #London venues in #Summer2025.

#Shakespeare

www.thefamilystage.co.uk/2025/07/02/r...

REVIEW: Who is Claude Cahun? (Southwark Playhouse, Borough) 80 years after WWII ended, it remains a perennially popular theatrical subject, with so many untold stories waiting to be explored. With the passage of time comes greater gaps in those stories, off…

"a compelling production that introduces audiences to an extraordinary pair of artists". Read our full review of "Who is Claude Cahun?" at Southwark Playhouse.

www.thefamilystage.co.uk/2025/06/28/r...

Ah shame. It has indeed been ages!

Are you at the!Southwark Playhouse press night on Friday?

REVIEW: Circus Piddly (Waterloo Millennium Green) Circus comes in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes it’s big and brash with a cast of thousands. Sometimes it’s small and mighty. As the name suggests, Circus Piddly falls into the latter c…

"absolutely bonkers in the very best way."

Read our full review of Circus Piddly and don't miss your final few changes to catch it in London this weekend, before the UK's teeniest big top heads back on the road.
www.thefamilystage.co.uk/2025/06/14/r...

#Circus #FantasticForFamilies

A photo of a man playing the saxophone on top of a circus tent. The tent is white and red. It's a lovely sunny day.

Full review coming soon but in the meantime we wanted to shout loudly about the fabulous Circus Piddly that's currently playing in London's Waterloo Millennium Green.

If you're in central London there's another show on this afternoon, plus more performances this week.

#Circus

REVIEW: Transport Explorers: A Live Show (London Transport Museum) A new family show has rolled into town as part of London Transport Museum’s ‘Transported by Culture’ initiative. Playing at the museum’s on-site Cubic Theatre during school …

"Just the ticket for curious young Londoners looking for something to do in the school holidays."
Read our full review of Transport Explorers at London Transport Museum #FamilyTheatre #ChildrensTheatre #TYA #HalfTerm

www.thefamilystage.co.uk/2025/06/01/r...

REVIEW: Out of the Hat, Norvil & Josephine Productions (The Well Walk Theatre) If asked to imagine a magician, most minds will conjure up images of a be-suited bloke in a bow tie and top hat, accompanied by a glamorous but silent female assistant. At first glance, Norvil &amp…

Norvil & Josephine's Out of the Hat "is a charming production that blends music, magic and a touch of the unexpected to create an entertaining afternoon of escapism for families."

www.thefamilystage.co.uk/2025/05/07/r...