Tag: kids theatre

Children, Children's Books, Families, Family Life, Giveaways, London, Memories, Parents, Theatre

Ben And Holly’s Magic Kingdom Live On Stage:Giveaway

by thejoyoffive7 Comments on Ben And Holly’s Magic Kingdom Live On Stage:Giveaway

I have always been a big believer in introducing the children to the wonders of the stage from an early age. There is nothing quite like a live performance and all of mine have and still do thoroughly enjoy a trip to the theatre.

A good way to introduce them is with characters that they are already familiar with and for mine Peppa Pig was always a favourite. The makers of Peppa Pig Live have now brought the CBeebies favourite – Ben And Holly’s Little Kingdom to life and I have a feeling this is going to be just as good.

The young fairy princess Holly is still tentatively learning to fly and master her magic skills while her best friend Ben the elf spends his days running around with his good pal Gaston the ladybird. The show allows you to become immersed in their Little Kingdom and enjoy lots of fun, games and laughter along the way.

If this sounds like something your little ones would enjoy then I have got a family ticket to give away for Saturday 2nd February at 1pm at the Orchard Theatre, Dartford. Please enter below and the simmer will be announced on Friday 1st February.

Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Children, Children's Books, Families, Family Life, Kids Days Out, Learning, Memories, Parents, Reading, Reviews, Surrey, Theatre, Toddlers

What The Ladybird Heard At Rose Theatre Kingston:Review

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on What The Ladybird Heard At Rose Theatre Kingston:Review

We all have a favourite books from our childhood; one that brings back memories and even into our adult life can evoke feelings from times and places around that very story.

The beauty of finding your favourite book in this day and age is the fact that many of the classics are adapted for the big screen or stage, allowing you to enjoy the story in a completely different way.

A favourite in our house at the moment, especially with Frankie is What The Ladybird Heard by Julia Donaldson. Frankie first came across this fantastic book whilst covering it at school and was lucky enough to play a part in the school assembly that we all loved watching.

You can imagine his excitement when I told him we would be going to see the show on stage at the Rose Theatre in Kingston.

The Rose Theatre is a new discovery for us and we were pleasantly surprised when we arrived to the super friendly staff in a lovely bright and spacious reception that lead onto a cafe full of scrummy treats and a small play area that was perfect to keep restless fingers busy.

After a quick look around we made our way to our seats inside the theatre. It had a really laid back feel to it and the children were invited to grab a cushion and take a seat right in front of the stage or settle in their seats if they wanted. Actually as sad as this may seem the seats were a pretty big highlight for me as they were the usual retractable kind but came in a double seat which saved the continual chair banging throughout the show!

The colourful set had the whole audience of little people gazing at the stage with anticipation of the start. It wasn’t long before the lights dimmed and the charters took to the stage. The tale of the two cheeky robbers who were out to steal the farmers prized cow started to unfold and with the use of extremely clear props…my favourite was the goose made from a watering can, catchy tunes and bundles of audience participation the children were keeped engaged for the whole 55 mins which is no mean feat when there is such a young audience.

During the show the children were encouraged to join in with animal noises, sing and mimic the actions to songs and try to spot the elusive ladybird which seemed a favourite with them all. There was also plenty of slapstick style comedy thrown in which is always a hit with my lot!

The characters were warm and friendly and really drew the children in and made a great connection with them. Frankie took a real liking to the naughty robbers whilst Oscar was pretty taken with the jolly farmer.

At the end of the show we were lucky enough to be able to take to the stage for a chat with the characters and the children got to try their hand at using some of the amazing props.

Frankie was over the moon the meet his favourite character ‘Lanky Len’ and Izzy was in her element to get five minutes on stage as this is her absolute dream.

We had a fantastic afternoon and highly recommend this show as a half term treat for all the family.

Books, Children, Children's Books, Education, Families, Family Life, London, Surrey, Theatre

What The Ladybird Heard Is Coming to The Rose Theatre

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on What The Ladybird Heard Is Coming to The Rose Theatre

Im sure that most of you with little ones will be all to familiar with the wonderful book – What The Ladybird Heard by the talented author Julia Donaldson.

What The Ladybird Heard is the first in a series of three picture books that sees Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len come together to counter up a plan to steal the famers prize winning cow; but the ladybird has a plan of her very own!

From the 29th May – 3rd June this much loved tale is being brought to life on the stage go the Rose Theatre, Kingston with tickets starting from as little as £10.

The 55 minute performance will bring recognisable songs, live music, puppetry, plenty of audience participation and of course lots of fun and laugher.

This would make the perfect treat for any little one who loves these stories and a great way to introduce them to the wonderful world of theatre.

To really get them in the spirit of things Fenwick in the Bentalls, Kingston have put on a whole host of activities from a What The Ladybird Heard trial around their third floor, colouring sheets and crafting workshops and a delicious sounding themed lunch in their restaurant.

We will be going along soon to see for ourselves what the show has to offer and if it is something of interest to you then click HERE to book your tickets.

Children, Families, Family Life, Giveaways, London, Parents, Parks, Summer, Surrey, Theatre, Toddlers

In The Night Garden Live 2018:Family Ticket Giveaway

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on In The Night Garden Live 2018:Family Ticket Giveaway

It is around this time of year when all the fun of Christmas is over, the weather is rubbish and there is nothing exciting planned that I start to think about the warmer weather ahead and the exciting things we are going to get up to.

One of the highlights for us for the past few years has been the fantastic on stage performance – In The Night Garden Live.

The musical theatre show brings to life all the familiar characters from the popular TV show through magical puppetry, breathtaking projection, enchanting music and life-sized characters.

Tickets go on sale from 26th January 2018 and there is also an exclusive resale on 23rd January.

The O2, London

Thursday 24 May – Saturday 9 June

Performances at 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm

No performances on Tue 29 May & Tue 5 Jun

Richmond Old Deer Park, London

Saturday 16 June – Sunday 1 July

Performances at 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm

No performances on Tue 19 Jun & Tue 26 Jun

Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham

Saturday 7 July – Sunday 22 July

Performances at 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm

No performances on Tue 10 Jul & Tue 17 Jul

intu Trafford Centre, Manchester

Saturday 28 July – Sunday 19 August

Performances at 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm

No performances on Tue 31 July, Tue 7 & Tue 14 Au

If this sounds like something you and your little ones would be interested in then or if you are feeling lucky then I have a fantastic competition for you to enter below for the chance to win a family ticket for four(minimum 1 adult) at a venue and performance of your choice.

powered by Typeform

The competition closes at 23:59 on 14th January 2018. Good Luck!

Children, Children's Books, Families, Family Life, Kids Days Out

The Wind In The Willows Premiere

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on The Wind In The Willows Premiere

Stepping out of the tube station into hoards of people waving iPhones in the air was a little bit of a shock the other week.

I was going along to review Wind In The Willows that has just opened at the London Palladium and I had more than slightly underestimated the evening, and hadn’t realised it was a fully star studded red carpet event!

Izzy has had her heart set on stardom since she could talk and her jaw literally hit the floor when she realised she would be taking to the red carpet and mingling with the stars.

Settled in our seats the curtains rose which paved the way for the beginning of the show with the stunning scenery and the cheery, familiar faces of Ratty (Simon Lipkin) and Mole.

The bumbling pair immediately captured the attention of the audience and left us wanting to follow their journey which lead them on an epic adventure with the bumbling eccentric Mr Toad (Rufus Hound).

Whist trying to find the precious daughter of Ms Otter (Denise Welch) that has wandered off and found herself captured by the evil Weasel the threesome find themselves on all kinds of predicaments caused mainly by the loose cannon Mr Toad.

Along the way as you would expect there are plenty more animals to meet from the super cute field mice to the hysterical family of hedgehogs and the more sinister of creatures that came in the form of the evil stoats.

The show lept from spectacular car crashes to more heart felt moments that showed that no matter how tough friendships can be and no matter what hurdles are thrown in the way to test you true friends will always be just that.

This quintessentially British classic from Kenneth Grahame has been perfectly adapted to give a captivating, moving and toe tapping show that will bring a smile to the faces of the whole family.

It will make for the perfect trip over the summer holidays and with some great deals on tickets at the moment it’s the perfect time to book.
*we were given tickets for the purpose of this review and they are all my own, honest opinions. 

Children, Families, Family Life

In The Night Garden Live Discount Code

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on In The Night Garden Live Discount Code

Last year we went along to In The Night Garden Live and loved every minute of it!

Imagine a huge, inflatable dome filled with bright colours, enchanting projections and captivating music that is the ideal setting for little ones to be transported right into their world of one of their favourite TV shows.

This is pretty much what to expect at In The Night Garden Live and it is something that my youngest two still talk about now.

I ran a competition a while ago now to win a family ticket to the show and have now got a great offer running until the 31st of March that gives you £5 of any order of £60 or over or 5% off of orders under £60 simply by using the discount code below when booking ‘here’.


It is an experience not to be missed and something your little ones will be sure to thank you for.

Children, Families, Family Life

In The Night Garden Live WINNER Announced 

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on In The Night Garden Live WINNER Announced 

A few weeks ago I ran a competition to win four tickets to see In The Night Garden Live this year.

I am pleased to announce that June Pinner is the lucky winner and a email has been sent over to confirm her win.

If you are still eager to go and see this fantastic show than pop over ‘here’and reserve priority tickets until the 19th January and get a £5 discount.

Also for everyone that entered the competition through my page keep an eye out for an email for you to claim a In The Night Garden 2017 wall calendar. 

For all of you that do manage to get along I would love to hear what you thought and maybe see some pics of your little ones enjoying themselves!

Children, Children's Books, Families, Family Life, Kids Days Out, Reviews, Reviews

Peppa Pig’s Surprise:Review

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on Peppa Pig’s Surprise:Review

For me Christmas and the theatre go hand in hand and if you feel the same as me and want to take your family from as little as babes in arms then I trip to see Peppa Pig’s Surprise at thePhoenix Theatre is a must.

Walking into a sea of toddlers hop, skipping and jumping around the theatre with flashing lights in hand I knew this was gong to be a noisy affair!

The lights then dimmed and the familiar sound of the Peppa Pig theme tune came from the stage and the audience was silenced apart form a few gasps of delight.

Peppa and George have a new friend called Daisy who is a bubbly character with an infectious smile who helps to keep the children engaged throught the whole show.


Peppa and George spend the whole show going about their everyday tasks whist wondering what their big surprise is going to be.

There is plenty of muddy puddle jumping and even a chance to sing along to a Peppa classic – The Bing Bong Song.

The show is extremely interactive with singing, bubbles to catch and plenty off water to dodge!


The ever changing scenes keep things at a fast pass for restless eyes with an underwater neon one being a firm favourite.

Although the storyline is not based around Christmas there is a really lovely festive treat at the end that I won’t spoil for you.

Peppa Pig’s Surprise brings you over an hour of thrills and spills and allows a huge favourite TV character to come to life in front of your eyes.

*we were given tickets for the purpose of this review and they are all my own honest opinions.

Children, Children's Books, Christmas, Families, Family Life, Kids Days Out, Reviews, Reviews

The Snowman:Review

by thejoyoffive1 Comment on The Snowman:Review

I don’t know one person that doesn’t know and love the story of The Snowman by Raymond Briggs.

It has been a Christmas favourite since I was a child and I have passed the love of it down to all my own children.

When I was asked along to the Peacock Theatre to see this classic on stage I had high hopes for what I was going to see, but also hoped it wouldn’t ruin the magic of the tale by swaying to far from the original storyline.

We walked into the theatre and sat down in front of the stage that was covered with a projection of continually falling snow that caught the eyes of the children immediately.

The orchestra then kicked in, the curtains raised and so the story began.

The first half was the ever familiar story of the little boy who excitedly catches sight of the snow falling and hop, skips and jumps into the garden to create his very own snowman that magically comes to life in the dark of night.

The snowman is welcomed inside by the boy and the pair get up to lots of mischief from dressing the snowman up in his parents clothes to riding a motorbike round the garage whilst trying not to wake his sleeping parents.

All of this is performed beautifully and had my youngest two transfixed on the stage.

The first half finished with the Snowman taking his friend by the hand and flying him into the sky to the classic sound of ‘Walking In The Air’ which had the audience enthralled and excited for what was to come next.

The second half was padded out a little with the journey to the party at the North Pole incepted with a battle between the Snowman and the evil Jack Frost who is trying to capture the beautiful Ice Princess.

The upbeat second half is full of excitement and lots of humour added by the chucklesome Father Christmas and his super cute reindeers.

This two hour long ballet kept my attention lacking youngest two mesmerised and the look of wonder in their eyes completely melted my heart.

This quintessentially British story has been bought to life in a truly magical way and is the absolute epitome of Christmas.

  *we were given tickets for the purpose of this review and they are all my own, honest opinion.

Children, Christmas, Families, Family Life

A Christmas Treat:Peppa Pig’s Surprise 

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on A Christmas Treat:Peppa Pig’s Surprise 

    

I know, I know it’s only September but before we know it Christmas will be upon us.

There is always so much going on over the festive months that I find it hard to fit everything in so getting prepared is a must.

One thing that we all love to do is to have a trip into town to take a look at the lights and have an afternoon at the theatre; and who better to visit over this happy time of year than Peppa Pig and the gang.

This year they are taking to the stage at the Phoniex Theatre, Charing Cross from Thursday 1st December – Saturday 10th January and tickets are on sale now.

Join Peppa and George as the try to uncover the big suprise that Mummy and Daddy pig have for them.

There will be plenty of fun, games and surprises along the way in this colourful and interactive show suitable for all the family.

I’m champing at the bit to find out the big secret and I’m sure your little ones would love to find out to!