What better way to introduce your kids to the magic of theatre than with a fantastic family show?

Sing along with Anna and Elsa, visit the swamp with Shrek and Fiona and take over the streets of London with the Artful Dodger - these are the best family-friendly shows coming to Kent this year…

FROZEN JUNIOR, Canterbury

Disney’s Frozen has been reimagined for a younger audience – and young performers – in this magical stage adaptation. Based on the 2013 animated film, with songs such as Let It Go, Do You Want to Build a Snowman and Love is an Open Door, this musical is a great way for kids to see their favourite characters, including Anna, Elsa and Olaf, come to life.

Details: Wednesday, March 20 to Friday, March 22 at the Gulbenkian Arts Centre in Canterbury. Book tickets online here.

OLIVER, Chatham

The Rochester Independent College Theatre Company is putting a twist on composer Lional Bart’s 1960 musical, Oliver. The story, based on the novel Oliver Twist by Medway’s own Victorian novelist Charles Dickens, will transform the Chatham theatre into a Dickensian world with pickpockets, street crime and food, glorious food.

Details: Tuesday, March 26 and Wednesday, March 27 at the Central Theatre in Chatham. Book tickets online here or by calling 01634 338338.

RAPUNZEL, Gravesend

Who says pantos are just for Christmas? This family-friendly Easter panto sees young Rapunzel escape from the evil witch, Horrorbella, and join Finn Strider and Dame Dolly Dumpling on an adventure to reunite with her loving father. The show will be filled with larger-than-life jokes, songs, dance routines and costumes.

Details: Monday, April 8 to Wednesday, April 10 at The Woodville in Gravesend. Book tickets online here or by calling 01474 337500.

SHREK THE MUSICAL, Canterbury

Expect the unexpected as you set off on a fairytale journey to the land of Far Far Away. The 2001 Dreamworks film Shrek, starring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz, has been turned into a toe-tapping musical and is going on a nationwide tour. The show features songs that fans of the film will remember, such as I’m A Believer, along with a score of original numbers. The tour’s cast includes former Strictly champ Joanne Clifton, who has performed at the Marlowe Theatre before in the 2021 Christmas panto, and theatre star Antony Lawrence, known for shows such as the Lion King and Mary Poppins.

Details: Monday, April 29 to Saturday, May 4 at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury. Book tickets online here or by calling 01227 787787.

ZOG AND THE FLYING DOCTORS, Bromley

Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s best-selling children’s books are no strangers to the stage, having been turned into live adaptations a number of years ago. Zog and the Flying Doctors, the sequel to 2010’s Zog, sees the lovable dragon take his crew back into the air to help cure a host of unusual creatures, from a lion with the flu to a sunburnt mermaid.

Details: Tuesday, May 14 to Thursday, May 16 at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley. Book tickets online here or by calling 03433 100020.

JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, Tunbridge Wells

With stars such as Jason Donovan and Donny Osmond taking on the title role over the years, this musical has become beloved by generations. The show, created by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice in the 1960s, has toured the globe, been turned into a feature film and will now be performed by the Tunbridge Wells Operatic and Dramatic Society during the May half term. The musical features numbers such as Any Dream Will Do and Close Every Door and, of course, that spectacular coat of many colours.

Details: Wednesday, May 29 to Saturday, June 1 at the Assembly Hall Theatre in Tunbridge Wells. Book tickets online here.

TREASURE ISLAND, Maidstone

There’s a swashbuckling summer panto coming to the Hazlitt Theatre this year and it’s full of pirates, sea creatures and hidden treasure. The production, which comes from the same team behind the theatre’s recent shows the Wizard of Oz and Goldilocks and the Three Bears, will have sing-along songs, colourful sets, buccaneering action and plenty of villains for audiences to boo and hiss.

Details: Friday, May 31 at the Hazlitt Theatre in Maidstone. Book tickets online here or by calling 01622 758611.

MADAGASCAR THE MUSICAL, Dartford

It’s your chance to walk on the wild side as an animal breakout ensues at New York’s Central Park Zoo. Join Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippo - characters made famous by Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith - as they escape from captivity and journey to King Julien’s Madagascar. This musical adaptation of the 2005 film currently stars CBBC presenter and Strictly finalist Karim Zeroual.

Details: Thursday, June 6 to Sunday, June 9 at the Orchard West Theatre in Dartford. Book tickets online here or by calling 03433 100033.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, Folkestone

Based on the music of Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, this heartwarming love story is one for the ages. Since its release in 1991, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast has spawned a live action remake and a Tony-nominated Broadway musical, and now it’s coming to Kent for the summer. The fairytale show includes beautiful costumes, lovable characters and songs such as Be Our Guest and Gaston.

Details: Friday, June 28 to Sunday, June 30 and Thursday, July 4 to Sunday, July 7 at the Tower Theatre in Folkestone. Book tickets online here.

101 DALMATIANS, Canterbury

After a successful run in the West End, this new stage production of 101 Dalmatians is hitting the road. When the wicked Cruella de Vil plots to nab all the puppies in town to create a new fur coat, it’s up to dalmatians Pongo, Perdi and a pack of four-legged friends to help save their pups. The show uses impressive puppetry to recreate the pooches and plenty of nods to the 1961 Disney animation, the 1996 live action film starring Glenn Close and the 2021 prequel Cruella starring Emma Stone.

Details: Tuesday, July 16 to Saturday, July 20 at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury. Book tickets online or by calling 01227 787787.