Family shows coming to London’s West End theatres in 2025
There’s something magical about a trip to the West End. There’s thousands of twinkling lights, huge billboards on every corner and scores of people flooding in and out of the theatres.
If you and your family want to feel the buzz of the city’s theatre district, here are three fantastic shows making their way to London this year…
DISNEY’S HERCULES
After the overwhelming success of Aladdin and Frozen, this Ancient Greek tale is making its way to the stage. It opens this summer at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane and includes a score by award-winning composer Alan Menken, who also penned the music for Beauty and the Beast and the Little Mermaid.
It’s based on the 1997 animated film and follows Hercules, the mortal son of gods Zeus and Hera, who must learn what it takes to be a hero on Earth with the help of his mentor, Phil, and ‘anti-princess’ Meg. Fans of the film will recognise songs such as Go the Distance, Zero to Hero, One Last Hope and I Won’t Say I’m in Love. Book tickets here.
MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO
This multi-award-winning adaptation of the Studio Ghibli favourite became a record-breaking hit during its run at the Barbican from November 2023 to March 2024. The show features stunning puppetry and beautiful scenery to tell the story of two sisters who move to rural Japan to be closer to their ill mother and find themselves in a mythical forest with a host of woodland creatures.
It won six Olivier Awards during its initial stint in the city and, due to popular demand, is back in London from March. This time, it’s on the West End at the Gillian Lynne Theatre on Drury Lane. Book tickets here.
OLIVER!
This musical snuck in at the very end of last year, opening at the Gielgud Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue in December to rave reviews. It’s already been nominated for five WhatsOnStage awards and is showing until March 2026.
The revival marks the directorial debut for renowned choreographer Matthew Bourne, known for his productions of Swan Lake and Cinderella, and stars Simon Lipkin (Avenue Q) as Fagin and Billy Jenkins, who appeared in the 2022 TV series Dodger, as the Artful Dodger. The story is based on Medway writer Charles Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist about an orphan boy who escapes the workhouse and joins a gang of pickpockets. It includes familiar songs such as Food Glorious Food and Consider Yourself. Book tickets here.
Don’t forget to check out our guide to the family musicals coming to Kent this year.
