From book to stage, bringing pure imagination to reality for children of all ages to enjoy!

More children's books are being adapted as theatre productions nowadays as parents introduce their little ones to their first theatre experiences. Karen Ryder delves deeper...


Our beloved children’s books are forging a beautiful relationship with theatre.  This idea may not be entirely new, with books such as The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz by L. Frank Baum bursting onto the big screen in 1939, but it has certainly been gathering momentum over the last decade or so.  The theatre should be a place where young people can engage with stories that open their hearts and minds, and allow them the same escapism, education, or representation that we feel is important to us as adults.  Books give them a voice in a world where adults often like to answer for them. 

You only have to look at The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time by Mark Haddon to provide a unique and honest viewpoint of a young person, who is lost in a world of adults opinions.  Why shouldn’t our young people be treated to the same offerings as us in regard to theatre when it is not only entirely possible, but lends itself with such ease and clarity to a world where imagination knows no bounds and the impossible is simply a myth?

Wicked returns to Manchester from December 2024 with tickets available to buy this July.

Plus, an already popular book guarantees an existing fan club and audience base, making it more of a sure thing for producers.  Take Roald Dahl’s Matilda for instance.  In November 2010, staged by The Royal Shakespeare Company, it began a 12 week trial run and moved to the West End the following year, where it is still running today!  It won 7 Olivier Awards in it’s first year, and 5 Tony Awards when it opened on Broadway.  If I were a producer, those statistics would have me running to my local bookshop or library and searching for the next big hit.  Success like that can’t be ignored, and whilst Matilda obviously had an outstanding creative team in Dennis Kelly, Tim Minchin, Matthew Warchus and The Royal Shakespeare Company, to dismiss the excellence of the material source would be a rookie mistake. 

Of course, Roald Dahl has had more of his work immortalised in theatre, with success stories such as Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (Palace Theatre Manchester - July 11th - 30th 2023). And for anyone who hasn’t seen this, I strongly suggest you grab yourself a golden ticket.  A mixture of original songs sit alongside those we know and love from the Gene Wilder movie.  It will bring you tears of happiness as you “watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you – Roald Dahl.”

Charlie and the Chocolate will be arriving at the Palace Theatre in July

Another author whose books have seen a surge in being transferred to the stage is David Walliams, many of which were performed in Manchester last year, such as Gangsta Granny, Billionaire Boy and The Demon Dentist.  And whilst they may have taken a bit of heat in the adult world recently, their popularity remains with our younger generation because he champions the underdog as the hero of the story, and makes kids feel powerful. His characters experience hardship and overcome this to become the hero of their own story.   We cannot and should not underestimate the world our youngsters live in.  Create a generation of theatre lovers now to secure your adult audiences for the future.

Heartbreak Productions will be performing Bad Dad at Walkden Gardens on June 18th

And start as young as possible.  This year, we have a gorgeous hamper of theatre delights coming to Manchester courtesy of the Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler books. 

Starting with The Smartest Giant in Town at The Lowry (Feb 21-26), these beautiful books which famously rhyme so perfectly that children (and adults after reading them for the hundredth time) can recite them back word for word, will be a huge hit.

The Smeds And The Smoos make an exciting return to Manchester at Z Arts on 13^th-14^th May, another Donaldson classic that brings an emotional honesty and moral message to her story, amidst wonderfully colourful and exciting characters. 

The Snail And The Whale arrives at The Lowry from 3^rd - 5^th June, where even the smallest creature can make a mighty difference just by being themselves.

Zog is also at The Lowry from Aug 4th - Sep 3rd, with Princess Pearl flying the flag for those girls who don’t want to be reduced or stereotyped into wearing frilly dresses or be pigeon holed into certain job expectations.  What lovely memories we can all make with our mini humans.

Another of Julia Donaldson's books, The Singing Mermaid can be seen at Waterside in Sale (Feb 17-19) and at HOME (Oct 24-26).

Zog can be seen throughout the Summer holidays at The Lowry

For the older younger people, Life Of Pi by Yann Martel has been a brilliant adaptation. Winner of What’s On Stage and UK Theatre Awards Best New Play, it is also the winner of a whopping 5 Olivier Awards!!  And yes people, we are the lucky ones to have it grace us with its presence this Christmas at The Lowry from 5^th December 2023 – 7^th January 2024.  I, for one, will be attending and cannot wait!  With its ingenious use of puppetry, projection and magic, I cannot think of a more perfect way to capture the dance between a writer and director, the fascinating relationship as one person brings another person’s imagination to life.

Not forgetting Mother Goose either, originally published by Charles Perrault which has taken on a wonderful new life form in the dressings of the British Pantomime (coming to The Lowry from 5^th- 9^th April, starring Sir Ian McKellen, John Bishop and Anna-Jane Casey)

or Wicked written by Gregory Maguire, and even though we have to wait over a year for Wicked to return to Manchester from Dec 2024 – Jan 2025 – you can bet your munchkin madness that its die hard fans have already put a reminder in their calendars to be the first to grab those tickets which go on sale 8^th June 2023, because everybody wants to defy gravity, such is the popularity of this musical transformation. 

Ian McKellen and John Bishop star in Mother Goose at The Lowry this Easter

The list goes on and on, with exciting new shows which started out their wonderful journey as books being added, such as Winnie The Pooh at The Manchester Opera House from 24^th – 26^th July.  As my all-time favourite character and quite frankly, life coach with his philosophical pooh-isms, I am already bouncing like Tigger at the thought of this particular show!  Sometimes we all need to reconnect with the child in us, the one who allowed us to see the world without cynicism, but instead with wonder, possibility, and magic.  Where pooh sticks, honey pots, and over confident rabbits make perfect sense, and where a pooh is a thing to hold in our hearts, not our drainage systems.  And with that, I am truly lost to a world of hope, adventure, wonder and imagination.  I am off to wrap up in my Winnie The Pooh fleece, grab my phone to book some show tickets, and grab a smackerel of something to eat because I have a rumbly in my tumbley.

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