Best musicals for kids in London 2020 to see now

The one to watch again: Wicked, Apollo Victoria Theatre

It's hard to believe that Wicked is in its 14th year on the West End stage, or that it's the ninth-longest running musical of all time - it feels just as magical in 2020, with the songs as blood-pumping as they were when we first heard them.

The production has a fantastic new cast with Laura Pick as Elphaba and Helen Woolf as Glinda, and brings Gregory Maguire's Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, a reimagined sort-of prequel to L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz, to life.

Over the years, Wicked has picked up 100 awards (including Tony and Olivier Awards), and once you see it (or re-see it, a was our case), 'Defying Gravity' will make you feel like can accomplish anything - an amazing morale booster for parents, and a lesson for kids. Plus, the constant questioning of good and evil might just be the impetus for your first conversation on ethics with a 9-year-old... If that sounds like hard work, just keep listening to 'Popular' on repeat.

Photo: Matt Crockett

The one with the talented kid performers: Matilda the Musical, Cambridge Theatre

Roald Dahl’s story of a child genius with magic powers who brings anarchy then justice upon her little world is, it turns out, perfectly adapted for the stage.

This production, underpinned by the likes of Tim Minchin and playwright Dennis Kelly, has raked in the awards, and continues to charm audiences - even before they've seen the show (there's a good chance your child, boy or girl, has come home singing 'When I Grow Up' and everyone agrees the songs get better and better each time you listen to them).

It's also brilliant in every other way, and the sharpest satire on pushy London parenting. You can also score cheaper tix via the weekday lottery.

The one that will blow your mind: & Juliet, Shaftesbury Theatre

We don't know if it's the Britney and Backstreet Boys music, the Elizabethan-meets-US-high-school style costumes (they're incredible), the dynamism and stage presence of Miriam-Teak Lee (and the entire cast of & Juliet) or the fact that our child came home and started reading a kids' version of Romeo & Juliet after watching this, but it's the type of musical you'll see once and then immediately plot to book in again.

This feminist reworking gives Shakespeare's Juliet a new, empowered storyline, while Max Martin's infectious tunes work perfectly with the plot. Boy bands have never seemed so cool.

The one for older teens: Dear Evan Hansen, Noel Coward Theatre

This Tony Award winning musical is unlike most musicals you've come to expect. Evan Hansen is great for older teens, and a very profound meditation on isolation, social media and mental health in teen boys as it traces the story of a loner who goes viral, accidentally.

There's a weekday online lottery where you can score top tickets for £25 each.

The one that makes history cool: Six: The Musical, Arts Theatre

Six: the Musical, a feminist reworking of the stories of the six wives of Henry VIII, who get together for a pop-concert style reclaiming of their histories - or should we say her-stories? - follows in the vein of Hamilton to give rather depressing historical facts a contemporary and catchy new interpretation.

Not only is the energy of the show addictive and the songs utterly engaging, it may even ignite a passion for the actual history of the Tudor period. Sorry not sorry!

The one to book ahead: The Prince of Egypt, Dominion Theatre

The most highly anticipated musical blockbuster of 2020, The Prince of Egypt tells the story of two brothers who follow separate paths.

With music and lyrics from Stephen Schwarz (of Wicked fame) and the 'same production value as The Lion King', according to one early reviewer, prepare for an all-singing, all-dancing, all-sparkling new mega-hit.

The one for those who love a classic: Mary Poppins, Prince Edward Theatre London

Get ready for a flurry of kites, jolly holidays and spoons full of sugar as everyone's favourite nanny flies back onto the London stage.

Fans say this production took them back to their childhoods, and those who felt disappointed that the recent film version didn't have any of the original songs, will be pleased to know that this musical does, including 'Jolly Holiday', 'Step in Time', 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious', 'Feed the Birds' and new hits like 'Practically Perfect'.

Make it a family day out and head to the Mary Poppins themed afternoon tea at the Covent Garden Hotel afterwards.

The one with the limited run: Be More Chill, The Other Palace Theatre

On for an 11-week run at The Other Palace Theatre, Be More Chill is geared to a teen audience: think Dear Evan Hansen meets Little Shop of Horrors, with a high school setting, an outcast's teen crush and his attempts at wooing over the girl by... swallowing a super computer chip which directs him to be 'chill'.

Fun fact: Six fans will be delighted to know queens Catherine of Aragon, Renee Lamb, and Anne Boleyn, Millie O'Connell, are starring in this production.

The modern classic: The Lion King, Lyceum Theatre

If you haven't yet seen the West End spectacle that is The Lion King, don't delay - the kids will love it, and so will you (Elton John's songs! Julie Taymor's phenomenal costumes and direction!). With a two-and-a-half-hour running time, it's one for the 8 and up crowd, and they will be completely transported.

'It was great fun. I particularly enjoyed the opening. You suddenly find yourself surrounded by giraffes, antelopes, elephants, lions. You feel like you're inside the show. My favourite characters were Timon and Pumbaa; they were just as funny and good as in the movie.' - Anatole Dresch, age 9

The one to watch this summer: Malory Towers the Musical, Southbank Centre

Nothing captures twee nostalgia and good old-fashioned fun like Enid Blyton's beloved boarding-school stories Malory Towers.

Now an all-singing, all-dancing stage adaptation of the post-war novels serves up lashings of cheeky charm, with a subversive twist, courtesy of Emma Rice's Wise Children theatre company. Suitable for kids 8 and over, this is a must for the Blyton-obsessive who's dressing up as Darrell Rivers for World Book Day this year.

The one about acceptance: Everybody's Talking About Jamie, Apollo Theatre

A 16-year-old living on a Sheffield council estate breaks the mould in this uproarious coming of age musical. Everybody's Talking About Jamie has proved such a success that Warp Films (This Is England, Ghost Stories, The Last Panthers) and Film4 are turning it into a film.

Like mega-hits Billy Elliot and Kinky Boots before it, the musical is a heart-warming celebration of an against the odds victory. Against a sparse urban backdrop, captured in greyscale projections by designer Anna Fleischle, the boy in a dress narrative has a fairytale sparkle. But there's a fresh, contemporary spark to the show, too.