5 of the top London West End musicals for families

With Christmas being a popular season for theatre outings, I’ve read more about the musicals that can work for introducing school-aged children to West End. We’ve taken Big Girl to a West End musical twice, and there are several more that are on our list. Here are five of the musicals popular for families and currently playing on the West End, including some we’ve seen and some we’ve got on our list:

Disney’s The Lion King at Lyceum Theatre
Award-winning Disney’s The Lion King based on the Disney animation is in its 18th year at Lyceum Theatre, and continues to wow audiences with a beautiful and entertaining production. The musical, known for its catchy songs and wonderful costumes, is recommended for ages 6 and over.

Wicked at Apollo Victoria
Wicked, which celebrated its 10th anniversary on West End last year and has this year become the 15th longest running show in London theatre history, is based on the Gregory Maguire novel ‘Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West’, which re-imagined the Land of Oz and created a new version of L. Frank Baum’s 1900 classic ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’. The hit musical is playing at Apollo Victoria, and two extra 2.30pm shows have been added for this Christmas on 26 and 29 December.

Disney’s Aladdin at Prince Edward Theatre
Disney’s Broadway musical Aladdin hit West End in May 2016, bringing the story of Aladdin and Princess Jasmine to life in a magical show with catchy songs, special effects and more than 350 lavish costumes. The musical is playing at Prince Edward Theatre and the recommended minimum age is six years.

Matilda The Musical at Cambridge Theatre
Based on Roald Dahl’s children’s book, Matilda the Musical tells the story about the incredible five-year-old school girl. The musical, which hit West End in 2011, has won 86 major international awards, including 16 for Best Musical, and the hit show is now the longest running production to play at the Cambridge Theatre.

Annie
Annie the musical, which opened again in London in June, tells the story about young girl Annie who lives at Miss Hannigan’s orphanage and is chosen to celebrate Christmas at billionaire Oliver Warbucks’ residence. It is a musical I remember from my own childhood with the hit songs Tomorrow and It’s a Hard Knock Life, and it is recommended for children aged 5 and over. Craig Revel Horwood, who many will know from the BBC Strictly Come Dancing judging panel, is playing Miss Hannigan until 26 November. The musical is on at Piccadilly Theatre, and the running time is 2 hours and 15 minutes, including a 15-minute interval. When booking through the box office, there is a Kids Go Free offer, where you can get one free ticket for a child per full paying adult on Band A seats for Monday to Friday performances, excluding peak weeks and subject to availability.

The picture at the top is from an event with Today Tix at Charlie and the Chocolate Factory last year, and that musical finished its West End run earlier this year

Tags: Aladdin, Annie, Disney, Lion King, Matilda, Musical, Musicals, Roald Dahl, The Lion King, Wicked