London Mums Blog

The West End draws families by day; theatre goers by night

With some inside guidance, the West End is an extremely pleasant and child friendly destination for families, especially those with under 5’s in tow.  Museums, playgrounds and outdoor areas and some great family-friendly places to eat that are somewhat well suited for pushchairs and noisy children make The West End a great place to take little ones for the day.  Here is just a few of the temptations that call...
 
The National Gallery: While there are no exhibits in this museum particularly pitched to little ones, there is The Magic Carpet Ride for the Under 5’s.  Every Sunday, at 10:30 and 11:30, in the education wing (which is the opposite side of the entrance on Trafalgar Square) a docent gathers families for a prompt start to the activity.  After in introduction and discussion of the rules, the group walks through the galleries and sits in front of a work of art to listen to a story about the picture and sing a song.  It is priceless and FREE!!   

Was it worth booking to see Jude Law in Hamlet 18 months ago?!

There was a time when I vaguely fancied Jude Law, particularly when he starred in The Talented Mr Ripley as the rich, cool and beautiful Dickie Greenleaf. But I would have had dinner with Philip Seymour Hoffman who played his ebullient friend. Hoffman is ugly and weird and interesting, a fabulous actor. I would watch a Kleenex ad if he was in it.

But I liked Jude’s name and named my son Jude too. Jude is now 8; Jude Law must be in his later thirties. We went to see him star as Hamlet at the Wyndhams Theatre. I had strangely booked the tickets a year and a half ago, before 2009 existed, before 2008 had arrived. I remember thinking I could be dead by June 2009, but I booked anyway because my husband had made me a friend of the Donmar Warehouse and they had alerted me to the news that Jude Law would be playing Hamlet several years down the line. I wanted to see the production because the Donmar Warehouse can’t seem to deliver anything mediocre.

How long is a Piece of String?

I had an 'interesting' morning today.  The Boys and I went along to the Unicorn Theatre in Tooley Street to see one of the latest Oily Cart productions; 'How Long is a Piece of String?'
 
Here's what the website blurb said: "An interactive, multi-sensory production with astonishing visuals and original, live music, exploring and celebrating the wonders of string.  Follow a trail of string into the theatre where performers lead you around a woven wonderland of different chambers full of strings, ropes and pulleys."

London theatre for a preschooler? Oh yes! Go see William's Monster

Poor William.  He's misunderstood as being a little monster, when in fact all he wants to do is have some fun and use his imagination.  And to cap it all, his parents plan a weekend away without him, and he has to go and stay with his scary grandfather, who makes him sleep in the attic where there are all sorts of funny noises and goings on...
 
I took Boy #2 to the theatre this week.  He's not even three yet, but theatre is a treat he and his brother have been getting since they were tiny; I think the youngest that I took either of them was when they were about nine months.  I know, I know.  I can here you saying from here.  A preschooler?  To the theatre?  What kind of a mug are you?