The best family shows in London

Cambridge Theatre · 2hr 35min (incl. 1 interval) · from £20

The best-written family musical in London, and the one that takes children most seriously: the jokes are genuinely funny, the villain is genuinely frightening, and nobody is talked down to. Children who like books tend to love it.

Worth knowing. Flashing lights, lasers and loud sound effects, plus balloons popped on stage and stage haze. Under-4s are not admitted, and the production says plainly that it is not suitable below six.

Gielgud Theatre · 2hr 40min (incl. 1 interval) · from £20

Big, loud, funny, and stuffed with songs that people who have never seen it can still sing. It is also one of the best-value family bookings in London: four tickets in the Grand Circle for £125 is unusual for a show this size.

Worth knowing. Gunfire and smoke effects, and the story does not soften Victorian poverty, hunger or Bill Sikes. The minimum admission age is three, but the recommendation is seven.

Apollo Victoria Theatre · 2hr 45min (incl. 1 interval) · from £25

Twenty years in, it still does the thing families want from a big musical: a story children follow easily, two leads worth arguing about on the way home, and a first-act finale that lifts the roof. At two and three-quarter hours it is one of the longer ones.

Worth knowing. Loud noises, flashing lights, smoke and strobe throughout. Under-5s are not admitted and under-15s must sit next to an adult.

National Theatre (Olivier) · from £25

A new adaptation for the National’s Christmas slot, moving Kipling’s story to the mangroves of the Sundarbans. The Olivier stage gives it room for the kind of staging the National does better than anyone, and previews from £20 make it the cheapest big-house option this winter.

Worth knowing. The National says it contains depictions of death and violence. The running time has not been published yet, so check before booking around a bedtime.

Old Vic · 2hr 0min (incl. 1 interval) · from £17

The Old Vic’s annual Carol is a proper piece of theatre rather than a panto: two hours, handbells, snow, and an audience that leaves in a better mood than it arrived in. Giles Terera plays Scrooge this year.

Worth knowing. Ghosts, and a show that takes Marley seriously enough to unsettle a sensitive eight-year-old. Roughly two hours including the interval.

St Martin's Theatre · 2hr (incl. 1 interval) · from £35

A murder mystery with no gore and no shocks beyond the plot, which makes it an easier sit than its subject suggests, and at two hours it is on the shorter side. Children old enough to follow a whodunnit usually enjoy guessing, and everyone is asked to keep the ending secret.

Worth knowing. St Martin’s is a small Victorian theatre: the seats are tight and the upper levels are steep. Under-5s are not admitted.

Novello Theatre · 2hr 35min (incl. 1 interval) · from £17.50

The lowest age guidance of the long-running West End musicals, and the one most likely to get a whole family dancing at the end. There is nothing to explain and nothing to fear — the plot is a wedding and the songs are ABBA.

Worth knowing. Contains flashing lights. Under-3s are not admitted. Groups of four from £24.75 a ticket midweek is the cheapest way in for a family.

Palace Theatre · 2hr 55min (incl. 1 interval) · from £25

From 9 October this is a single show of about three hours rather than two separate parts, which removes the main obstacle for families: you no longer need two tickets, two sittings and most of a day. The stage magic is still the best in London, and it is done in front of you rather than on a screen.

Worth knowing. Recommended for eight and over, with under-5s not admitted. The new one-part staging has no published content warnings yet, so check the site nearer the time if you need them.

Phoenix Theatre · 3hr (incl. 1 interval) · from £25

The prequel to the series, and a genuine spectacle — the staging does things most people cannot work out afterwards. For teenagers who already know the show it is the easiest theatre sell on this page, and it closes on 27 December, so the window is shorter than it looks.

Worth knowing. Gunfire audio, loud noises and explosions, haze, strobe and strong language, and it depicts various mental health conditions. Three hours with an interval. Under-5s are not permitted.

Vaudeville Theatre · 1hr 20min (no interval) · from £34.50

Eighty minutes, no interval, six queens and a pop concert structure — the shortest show in the West End and the one teenagers are most likely to have on a playlist already. Good for an evening that has to finish early, or a first show for someone who thinks theatre is boring.

Worth knowing. Flashing lights, strobe, haze and loud music throughout, and the script touches on miscarriage and on physical and sexual trauma. Recommended ten and over.