At what age did you first take your LO to the theatre?

[cuckoochick]

Ok so panto season is coming up and every year DH gets free tickets. I'm thinking C is still too young plus pantos are quite scary. When did you first take your LO to a pantomime?


But....there is a kids' puppet show of the elves and the shoemaker on next week that I'd love to take C to. She's well behaved and sits well through tv shows/storytime at the library but we've not introduced watching movies or anything yet. What do you think? It'd just be the two of us at a morning performance so tiredness wouldn't be an issue. Tickets are inexpensive so I wouldn't be too bothered if we did have to leave early....

Any opinions?? Thanks :-)

[Roseii]

We took dd1 to see peppa pig live in London when she was 27mo and she loved it, she was really good and besides the audience was full of toddlers so it wouldn't have mattered if she had played up kwim? We also took dd2 who was 7mo and an angel too. She's since been to fireman Sam, and Dora live and is desperate to see Lion King, I think she's got the theatre bug like me I'd def take C to the elves one I bet she would love it

[Mashi]

DS is 4.5yo and this year we are *hoping* we can find panto tickets.  (Isn't one at our local theatre for the first time in years!)   Last year at 3.5yo he might have been okay to sit through one but we weren't prepared to spend the money and a day of our holidays finding out that we were wrong.   

I've never seen a scary panto though? Or really even heard of one?!  But I'm not English and the whole idea and concept of pantos is really quite unusual for me, so maybe I have misunderstood them.   The only one that we have found where dates/location works for us so far is Cinderella, with an "all star cast" (none of whom I know  ) ... it isn't going to be scary is it

I would for sure have taken my DS to a puppet show at 2yo, he was very good at things that were short enough in length and geared towards the littlies at that age!  I hope it's good

[cuckoochick]

I've taken 6 and 7yos to the theatre and in the dark combined with loud noises the villains can be quite scary or maybe just it's top realistic for them! We've had lots of sensitive kids end in tears even at shows like the Gruffalo. Our school gets a travelling panto come in and do a show every Christmas and loads of kids cry/get frightened.

Anyway, I think you're right about the toddler shows. The puppet show says 3+ but C is very advanced in terms of language and understanding so we might give it a whirl next week. Tickets are fairly cheap. Might persuade MIL to come along too!

[Mashi]

Anyway, I think you're right about the toddler shows. The puppet show says 3+ but C is very advanced in terms of language and understanding so we might give it a whirl next week. Tickets are fairly cheap. Might persuade MIL to come along too!

I would absolutely give it a whirl, I wouldn't even worry about the language aspect of it - my DS didn't understand a lick of German at that age and he still really enjoyed the performance aspects of puppet shows and things! I think C will really enjoy it.

[cuckoochick]

Thanks mashi. Had better book some first thing in the morning.

[Lolly]

I would take her to the elves too, it's a nice gentle story and puppets would be lovely!

We haven't chanced a panto with my sensitive big boy yet (Mashi - there can be scary bits, usually scenes with the "Baddie" character!), he saw Peter Pan with school last year and broke his heart at the bit where it seems that Tinkerbell dies. We may try this year though - I think DD will love it!

Laura

[Shiv52]

Definately take her to the elves one!  Ive taken mine to shows forever although not the panto yet! In fact we're going to 'the nit
So scary halloween show' today!!