2023 shows at Theatre Royal Plymouth to keep the youngest family members entertained
Want to keep the young ones entertained throughout the year? Look no further!
Theatre Royal Plymouth has a huge range of family shows on offer in 2023.
The likes of Annie, Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, Spongebob The Musical, Zog and Demon Dentist are all visiting Plymouth over the next 12 months.
Here is a list of some of the shows the whole family will be sure to enjoy.
Room on the Broom (5–8 February 2023), The Lyric (3+)
iggety ziggety zaggety zoom!
Jump on board the broom with the witch and her cat in Tall Stories’ fun-filled adaptation of Room on the Broom, the best-selling picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.
The witch and her cat are travelling on their broomstick when they pick up some hitch-hikers – a friendly dog, a beautiful green bird and a frantic frog. But this broomstick’s not meant for five and – CRACK – it snaps in two… just as the hungry dragon appears!
Will there ever be room on the broom for everyone? Find out in the magical Olivier Award nominated show for everyone aged 3 and up.
The Snow Beast (8–10 February 2023), The Drum (6+)
Welcome to the Seldomberg Science Fair, lab coats – check! goggles - on! Ideas are bubbling in the air!
In the snowy town of Seldomberg test tubes bubble, experiments explode and new
inventions whirr for the Science Academy’s Final Exams. But Faina’s got a problem… her project has unexpectedly burst into flames!
Desperate to pass her Final Exams, Faina sets off on a perilous expedition to find the legendary Snow Beast. With help from her owl assistant Maude, they encounter extraordinary spectacles and mountainous obstacles as they battle through the wild, wintry wilderness in search of the truth.
Can you help Faina and Maude overcome the scientific puzzles along the way? Does the Snow Beast even exist? This show is a captivating collision of storytelling, original music, puppetry and interactive science experiments, inspiring budding scientists of all ages.
Hey Duggee (10–11 February 2023), The Lyric
SQUIRRELS GET READY!
Everyone’s big lovable dog HEY DUGGEE is touring for the first time EVER and here’s your chance to see him!
HEY DUGGEE THE LIVE THEATRE SHOW is going to be HUGE and will feature Duggee and the Squirrels plus many more of your favourite characters! Betty wants to make costumes, Happy wants to sing, Tag wants to make music, Norrie wants to dance, Roly wants jelly and they all want you to join them at the Clubhouse.
There is so much to do, but luckily Duggee has his theatre badge. Will you get yours too? A-Woof!
Be part of the hit CBeebies show and join Duggee and the Squirrels in this new vibrant interactive production bursting with music, puppets and barrels of laughs along the way.
The BBC and Studio AKA TV series HEY DUGGEE has won no fewer than six BAFTAs and multiple EMMYs, so don’t miss out on the opportunity to see Duggee LIVE on stage in this exciting new production of the much-loved show.
Dinosaur World Live (9–11 April 2023), The Lyric (3+)
Dare to experience the dangers and delights of Dinosaur World Live in this roarsome interactive show for all the family.
Grab your compass and join our intrepid explorer across uncharted territories to discover a pre-historic world of astonishing (and remarkably life-like) dinosaurs. Meet a host of impressive creatures, including every child’s favourite flesh-eating giant, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, a Triceratops, Giraffatitan, Microraptor and Segnosaurus!
A special meet and greet after the show offer all our brave explorers the chance to make a new dinosaur friend.
Don’t miss this entertaining and mind-expanding Jurassic adventure, live on stage.
Jonny Feathers the Rock and Roll Pigeon (11–15 April 2023), The Drum (4+)
CLAP CLAP! FLAP FLAP!
The perfect musical show for little rebels looking for action, excitement and live music. ‘Jonny Feathers’ bursts on to the stage this Easter complete with guitars, drums, puppets and bubbles (with cheeky jokes thrown in for good measure!)
Jonny Feathers has lost his guitar! – can you help him find it? On the search we meet Vicky the Vixen, Bale the Snail (who invites Jonny in for tea in her shell) and Basher the Badger, lost on the way home from Glastonbury!
A treat for all the senses, this heart-warming, hilarious show celebrates the power of friendship, unity and helping others. Packed with brilliant original new songs, ‘Jonny Feathers’ is sure to have your little ones singing and dancing all the way home!
Attenborough and His Animals (11–15 April 2023), The Drum (6+)
A blue whale swims through the depths.
Racer snakes pursue an iguana across the desert.
Two hapless fools recreate wonderful scenes of the natural world.
Catch this award-winning, five-star show for an epic display of clowning, physical theatre and the largest range of animals you will ever see on stage.
A must-see for the whole family. The show returns to the UK following a sell-out Edinburgh Fringe season and world tour in 2019 and sell-out Adelaide Fringe seasons in 2020 and 2021.
Zog (15–17 May 2023), The Lyric (3+)
Based on the book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
Large in size and keen in nature, Zog is eager to win a golden star at Madam Dragon’s school, where dragons learn all the things that dragons need to know.
Zog tries so very hard, perhaps too hard, and he bumps, burns and roars his way through years one, two and three. Luckily, the plucky Princess Pearl patches him up ready to face his biggest challenge yet…a duel with knight, Sir Gadabout the Great!
The smash-hit stage adaptation from Freckle Productions (the team behind Zog and the Flying Doctors and Stick Man) is back and promises to be bigger, brighter and more roar-some than ever before! With lively songs from Joe Stilgoe and directed by Emma Kilbey, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s much-loved Zog is a magical production for all ages.
Charlie & The Chocolate Factory (7–18 June 2023), The Lyric (7+)
Escape to a world of pure imagination.
Based on the iconic story, this spectacular stage show follows the hit West End and Broadway productions to combine the memorable songs from the original 1970’s motion picture ( ‘The Candy Man’ and ‘Pure Imagination’) with all new numbers from the multi-award-winning songwriters of Hairspray.
When Charlie Bucket finds one of the five golden tickets to the Wonka Chocolate Factory, he and the other winners can’t wait to feast on the sweets of their dreams. But beyond the gates, they discover more than just remarkable edible delights. As they embark on an extraordinary journey through Willy Wonka’s marvellous mind, they soon learn that nobody leaves the same way that they arrived…
The weird and wonderful world of ROALD DAHL’S Charlie and The Chocolate Factory – The Musical will dazzle your senses when it plays Theatre Royal Plymouth as part of its first-ever UK & Ireland Tour.
Every ticket is GOLDEN, book yours today!
Demon Dentist (5–8 July 2023), The Lyric (5+)
BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT WITH FUN!
Join Alfie and Gabz on this fabulous adventure, as they investigate the strange events happening in their home town! Children are leaving their teeth for the tooth fairy and waking up to find odd things under their pillows! Alfie and Gabz are determined to get to the bottom of the mystery – but no-one could have dreamt what they’ll discover, when they come face to face with the demon dentist herself in this hilarious and thrilling story!
Don’t miss this terrific tale from the West End producers of David Walliams’ Gangsta Granny and Billionaire Boy, which were both nominated for an Olivier Award! It’s the funniest and most exciting show yet!
Shrek the Musical (21–29 July 2023), The Lyric
Join our unlikely hero Shrek and his noble steed Donkey as they embark on a big, bright, musical adventure.
Based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks film, the Broadway and West End hit Shrek the Musical is a fun-filled and hilarious musical comedy with a cast of vibrant characters and a ‘shrek-tackular’ score.
Featuring the beloved Princess Fiona, the evil Lord Farquaad, a host of magical fairy-tale characters and fabulous songs including the smash hit ‘I’m a believer, Shrek the Musical is a ‘musical extravaganza for big kids and little kids alike’.
Come join the adventure as Shrek and Donkey endeavour to complete their quest, finding unexpected friendships and surprising romance along the way.
A perfect night out for the young, and the young at heart, the award-winning Shrek the Musical is guaranteed fun for all ages and will have you dancing in the aisles and laughing all the way home.
Annie (14–19 August 2023), The Lyric
The smash-hit production of Annie comes to Theatre Royal Plymouth for one week only, direct from London’s West End. This ‘glorious revival’ (The Times) stars Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood as the tyrannical Miss Hannigan!
Set in 1930s New York during The Great Depression, brave young Annie is forced to live a life of misery at Miss Hannigan’s orphanage. Her luck soon changes when she’s chosen to spend a fairytale Christmas with famous billionaire, Oliver Warbucks. Meanwhile, spiteful Miss Hannigan has other ideas and hatches a plan to spoil Annie’s search for her true family…
With its Tony® award-winning book and score, including the unforgettable songs It’s The Hard-Knock Life, Easy Street, I Don’t Need Anything But You and Tomorrow, you can bet your bottom dollar that you’ll love it!
The SpongeBob Musical (30 August–2 September 2023), The Lyric (5+)
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea and became the hottest star on Broadway? Why, it’s SpongeBob SquarePants!
He’s ready to ride the wave to Theatre Royal Plymouth to entertain and delight audiences in this brilliant, bright, hilarious and brand-new musical production.
Plunge into this stunning all-singing, all-dancing, dynamic stage show! When the citizens of Bikini Bottom discover that a volcano will soon erupt and destroy their humble home, SpongeBob and his friends must come together to save the fate of their undersea world! With lives hanging in the balance and all hope lost, a most unexpected hero rises up. The power of optimism really can save the world!
Based on the series by Stephen Hillenburg, The SpongeBob Musical, written by Kyle Jarrow and conceived by Tina Landau, features a tidal wave of original songs by the world’s most iconic rock and pop artists, including Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady A, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At the Disco, Plain White T’s, They Might Be Giants and T.I., and songs by David Bowie, Tom Kenny and Andy Paley. Additional lyrics by Jonathan Coulton. Additional music by Tom Kitt.
An exciting new production featuring irresistible characters, magical choreography and dazzling costumes; this deep-sea pearl of a show is really set to make a splash with audiences young and old as the must-see musical of 2023.
