The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre Announces Autumn and Christmas Productions

The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre today announces the lead creative team of its hit panto Jack and the Beanstalk, the return of Raymond Briggs' Father Christmas and a new programme of Little Lyric shows for autumn.

Plans are underway for the Lyric's much loved annual pantomime, a festive crowd-pleaser which is now in its 13th year and continues to attract audiences of all ages from West London and beyond. Nicholai La Barrie will direct a new staging of the gargantuan fairytale Jack and the Beanstalk co-written by Jude Christian and Sonia Jalaly from 19 November 2022 to 07 January 2023 with press performances on Saturday 26 November.

Children's favourite Raymond Briggs' Father Christmas, co-produced by the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and Pins and Needles, also returns for the Christmas season, running in the Lyric Studio from 23 November to 31 December, offering a magical introductory theatre experience for young audiences, aged six and under.

Little Lyric also offers plenty for young audiences with a full programme of visiting shows from UK-leading children's theatre companies released today for events from September to November 2022.

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK - LYRIC 2022 PANTOMIME

19 November 2022 to 07 January 2023

Press day: Saturday 26 November

This Christmas, Jack and the Beanstalk climbs onto the Lyric Stage in a panto of gigantic proportions. Newly adapted by co-writers Jude Christian (Cinderella, Lyric 2019) and Sonia Jalaly (Happy Birthday Without You, UK Tour), this will mark the first panto directed by Nicholai La Barrie (Tina - the Tina Turner Musical Resident Director) since his appointment as the Lyric's first Associate Director in 2021. Expect the full Lyric treatment as the production breathes new life into this fairytale delight, complete with live music, dance and whip-smart comedy, a perfect night out for the whole family.

Jack and the Beanstalk runs in the Lyric Main House from 19 November 2022 to 07 January 2023 with press performances on Saturday 26 November.

When Jack swaps Daisy the Cow for a bag of magic beans, little do they know a soaring adventure awaits. Join Jack and friends for the climb of a lifetime as they battle giants and thorny baddies in the hopes of finding fortune that will save them.

Raymond Briggs' FATHER CHRISTMAS

A Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and Pins and Needles Production

23 November to 31 December 2022

Raymond Briggs' Father Christmas has become a must-see Christmas show and returns to the Lyric Studio for 2022. The Lyric family favourite, co-produced with the Oliver Award nominated Pins & Needles Productions, is a great introductory theatre experience for young children and bursts into life with live music, playful puppets and a magical set.

Join Santa as he awakes from a dream of sun, sea and sand only to find it is the busiest day of the year: Christmas Eve. Watch as he prepares for his Christmas deliveries, feeds his reindeer and finally takes flight into the snowy night.

LITTLE LYRIC

Various dates: September to November 2022

Professor Slug's House of Bugs

17 September 2022, 11am & 1pm

Presented by Maxwell Tyler

Professor Slug's House of Bugs is packed full of colourful puppets, catchy songs, and educational info about the wonderful world of bugs. Professor Slug is an eccentric expert on invertebrates. Get as strong as an ant, teach a bee to buzz, and help a dung beetle make a pooey perfume.

For ages 3+

Hulla Balloony Moon Time

24 September

Presented by Long Nose Puppets

Long Nose Puppets offer up a marvellous moonlit show full of riotous rhyme, zany puppets and spiffy special cake; all iced with music and songs by Tom Gray. Little children will feel stuffed to the brim with magic. Hulla Balloony Moon Time is based on the book Pat-a-Cake by Joyce and Polly Dunbar.

For ages 2-8 years.

Sunflowers & Sheds

01 October

Presented by M6

Down on the allotment, Frank looks forward to meeting his new neighbour. Until she arrives that is. Staged on lovingly recreated life-size allotments, Sunflowers & Sheds is a charming tale, featuring a gentle mix of humour, music and storytelling, to help us discover that friendship can grow in the most unlikely conditions.

For ages 5+

The Nosy Little Troll

01 October

Presented by Garlic Theatre

The Nosy Little Troll is a warm-hearted funny Scandinavian story starring a tasty brown cheese song, a lost goat and a bushy old troll with green fingers. Featuring wonderfully crafted troll puppets, live music and lots of joining in.

Deep in the heart of the Norwegian Forest live the trolls - big trolls, tiny trolls and a Nosy Little Troll who has an amazingly sensitive nose. One day there is a mumbling and a rumbling from the trolls. The Nosy Little Troll sets off to follow her nose on a quest to solve a mysterious pong.

For ages 3-8.

Rapunzel & The Tower of Doom

15 October

Presented by Widdershins

In Rapunzel & The Tower of Doom, Theatre of Widdershins have taken this Grimm tale right back to its dark roots, teased out the tangles and styled it into a beautifully coiffured hair piece. This enchanting show promises plenty of body, volume and loads of highlights. Make an appointment to see the show today - because you're worth it.

For ages 4+

The Story Game

22 October

Presented by Andrew Barnett Jones

Andrew Barnett Jones is going to tell you a story but he has no idea what it is. With your help, he'll create a hysterically funny, wildly creative story from a handful of words, a roll of the dice and his own rollercoaster imagination. Once you've seen him in action, you'll be inspired to play the game yourself and make up your own madcap stories.

For ages 6+

Grandad Anansi

25 to 29 October

Presented by Half Moon & Z-arts

Grandad Anansi is a humorous and heartfelt inter-generational adventure featuring evocative live music in an uplifting tale of love, courage and letting go.

Abi and her Grandad tell each other Anansi folktales. They play games in the garden among the beautiful flowers and tasty vegetables. As they plant memories, they share secrets and develop a bond that nothing can break. Grandad is as smart and mischievous as the wily Anansi legend. Can he find a way to tell his granddaughter about his plans to return to Jamaica, his beloved homeland?

Written by award-winning children's author Elayne Ogbeta, Grandad Anansi is a Half Moon and Z-arts co-production: an exciting collaboration by the UK's leading small-scale young people's venue and touring company and Manchester's award-winning venue for children and families. The production tours the UK celebrating Black History Month.

For ages 4-9.

A Square World

05 November

Presented by Daryl & Co

An honest, touching and quirky story of three friends and what happens when an unexpected change leaves one of them left out in the cold. Together they decide to redefine the rules of the square world in which they live and soon discover their lives won't be square ever again. This non-verbal story uses simple design and object manipulation to create an imaginative world where anything can happen.

Daryl & Co is a Disabled-led company where collaboration and co-creation meet mischief and merriment.

For ages 3-6.

There's A Rang-Tan In My Bedroom & Other Stories...

12 November

Presented by Little Angel Theatre

Imagine waking up to find a turtle bathing in your bathtub, an orangutan bouncing on your bed and a jaguar creeping through your kitchen! But how did they all get here? And why on earth are they all so far from home? Discover more about our animal friends and what we can do to help - because no one is too small to make a difference.

Inspired by the Greenpeace campaign films There's a Rang-Tan in My Bedroom and There's a Monster in My Kitchen written by James Sellick, and featuring voiceovers by Emma Thompson, Doc Brown & Rag'n'Bone Man.

For ages 5-11.