UK BLOG

One of the best things about having a 13 month old is that I can revisit all the Christmas activities I’ve long since left behind. But having said that, Finn is still a bit too young to sit through a traditional pantomime. So instead, we braved freezing conditions and headed to London’s Unicorn Theatre. Tucked away behind London Bridge station, Britain’s flagship children’s theatre has been introducing children to the magic of drama since the 1940s and now has over 600 performances a year — from Tom’s Midnight Garden to Twelfth Night.

We opted for Egg & Spoon, a special two-man show for 1-3 year olds. Along with about 20 babies, toddlers and their parents, we trooped into the theatre and took our seats. Well, not actually seats as such, but hessian cushions arranged in a ‘magic circle’ to create a stage in the middle. The performance kicked off with a violin solo. Finn was already transfixed. Next, the actors explained about ‘our space’ (our seats) and ‘their space’ (the stage) and could we not let the babies run all over the stage unless they were participating?

It seemed like a tall order, but actually it worked remarkably well. As the actors guided their small audience through the four seasons of the year, the toddlers were given items to unwrap and play with: puddles made from mirrors, bags of plastic grass and bird sounds to squeak. The toddlers cuddled up with moon cushions and danced at a butterfly party.

At all the right moments, the toddlers went on the stage and put cherry blossom branches on a makeshift tree and carried the props back and forth. Finn loved it — and we’ll be back for a pantomime next year.

Unicorn Theatre, Tooley Street, SE1 (0870 0534534; unicorntheatre.com)

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