Goblin Theatre presents ‘Mr Tiger Goes Wild’, a play adapted from the bestselling picture book by Peter Brown, which follows Mr Tiger on a musical adventure as he journeys from the city to the jungle. The quirky, humorous play takes its musical influences from a range of genres, from vaudeville to glam-rock, featuring original songs and live music that children will love. ‘Mr Tiger Goes Wild’ is a play about the importance of being yourself, and is showing until the 21December at the Chelsea Theatre in London.
Another stage adaptation of a children’s book can be found with ‘The Cat In The Hat’, which comes to London’s Pleasance Theatre for Christmas. The play follows Dr Seuss’ classic story of Sally and her brother, who meet a mischievous cat and have an amazing adventure one rainy afternoon.
Cinderella’s fairy tale is given a twist in the Little Angel Theatre’s ‘Cindermouse’. The play provides an interactive experience for children, who are asked to get out of their seats and help the characters look for the Little Angel cat before the action even begins. The production uses colourful glove and rod puppet characters to portray a land of mice, where Cindermouse finds love in the arms of a prince.
For a show with more of a wintry theme, Tall Stories are producing ‘The Snow Dragon’ at St James Theatre, London. The play uses story-telling, comedy and songs to create a magical world in which a spoilt young goat named Billy looks forward to the annual visit of the Snow Dragon on New Year’s Eve – until he bumps into some hungry wolves in the forest. The play runs until 4January, so children and families have plenty of time to discover how Billy escapes, and whether he has been good enough for the Snow Dragon to bring him a present.
There are also many shows outside London for children across the country to enjoy. The Lowry Theatre in Salford is showing ‘Lemony Snicket’s Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming’, which is also produced by Tall Stories in association with YaD Arts. The story of a Hanukkah Latke (a fried potato pancake) that escapes from a pan and races through a village at Christmas time to find somewhere it belongs has been brought to life using live music and Tall Stories’ unique physical style.
The classic Christmas pantomime is also not to be missed, with shows in most towns and cities during the festive season. For those near Liverpool, the production of ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ at the Everyman Theatre presents the classic story with a rock ‘n’ roll edge, adding more music, mayhem and water to the tale than ever before.