Taking the family to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on London’s West End

The other week I have a feeling I must have been a bit hormonal. I was walking towards Royal Drury Lane Theatre with Baby Girl and Baby Boy in tow when I could feel my eyes welling up with tears. I was so excited to be introducing my mini Londoners to West End.

The only problem was that we couldn’t actually get in.

I’d been a bit optimistic when I’d planned to have Baby Boy sleep in my lap through Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and it turned out babies weren’t actually allowed into the theatre due to health and safety reasons.

Instead, Baby Girl had to return with Daddy T to see the show without Baby Boy, and when they came home after the performance yesterday, she had coloured tissue paper she’d collected from the confetti drop at the end of the show in one hand and the souvenir brochure in the other hand. This had been one big day for her.

It turned out it was not too early to take three-year-old Baby Girl to West End despite Daddy T noticing that she was probably among the youngest in the audience. She loved Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, which we had been invited to see by Today Tix!, an app created by Broadway and West End Producers offering customers this week’s tickets to London’s top shows.

With Today Tix! it is incredibly easy to get an overview of West End musicals and book tickets on the go, and when I went through the booking process I soon realised there are several shows that could be great for us to see as a family.

In fact, the app is almost a bit too easy to use, and on the day of the show Today Tix! sends a helpful reminder before tickets can be picked up at the box office at the theatre.

I have a feeling I will have to start checking the app for Lion King tickets now. Our first West End family excursion was definitely one of many.

Tags: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, iPhone apps, London, Musical, Roald Dahl, Today Tix!, West End