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Original poster

Panto! When did you first take your children and did they enjoy it?

37 replies

gerbo · 18/12/2008 19:27

We used to have an annual outing to panto with my grandparents, cousins and all, and thoroughly loved it (ride on the bus, fish and chips tea, then panto!).

I now have a 20month old dd and was wondering if next year would be too early to take her? She'd be almost 3...

Any panto fans out there?!

OP posts:
jollyholly · 18/12/2008 19:27

Depends on the child. DD1 was 5 and hated it.

MiaWallace · 18/12/2008 19:29

We are seeing Cinderella tomorrow. Dd is 3. Really looking forward to it but I'm concerned that dd maybe to young.

yogabird · 18/12/2008 19:38

oh yes she would...oh no she wouldn't! Ours first went when they were 3 and loved it, it's now an annual thing. We are off to Aladdin tomorrow

seeker · 18/12/2008 19:38

Depends on the child. My dd LOVED it from 13 months - and still does at 13 years! My ds tries every year and has to be taken out crying - last time last weekend and he's nearly 8! He insists he wants to go, but dissolves into tears the first time anything loud or spooky happens.

mogs0 · 18/12/2008 19:41

I think ds was 3 1/2. He wasn't scared but not really into it like my 2 30-something sisters!!! We've been every year since and usually go to a matinee on Christmas eve then have an early dinner, then Christingle.

This year we're going to a free one at the local rugby club!!

Wheelybug · 18/12/2008 19:42

Dd went at 2.11 and loved it.

Wheelybug · 18/12/2008 19:42

Dd went at 2.11 and loved it.

tassisssss · 18/12/2008 19:44

interesting thread

after a lot of thought we've decided not to take our 5 year old this year...thankfully there's a lovely 3-5 kids theatre thing to take him to instead.

Othersideofthechannel · 18/12/2008 19:45

Just 3 and nearly 5. They both loved it, but the younger one was a bit confused.

NorbertDentressAngel · 18/12/2008 19:49

We're talking DS for the first time this year (hes 4.5) but I get a horrible feeling he'll be scared stiff seeing as hes refused to go anywhere near Father Christmas this year and just burst into tears.

He also seems to be going through a phase of being scared of all sorts of (non-scarey really) things on TV etc

ThisMUTTIsJustForChristmas · 18/12/2008 19:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

smartiejakeonachristmascake · 18/12/2008 19:50

Definitely depends on the child. My dd was 2 and a half the first time we went and she loved it.

My friends dd was 4 and a half and was very distressed by all the noise, screamed the place down and had to be taken out after about 20 mins.

dylsmum1998 · 18/12/2008 20:22

i first took ds at 3 and he loved it.
dd went when she was 8 months, she wasn't fussed she fed and slept the whole way through ( i'm a single mum and wante dto take ds so she had to come)

didnt take them last year as couldn't afford it
but we are going this year dd is 2 yrs and 8 months (exactly!) on Monday am hoping she'll love it

girlywhirly · 18/12/2008 20:57

DS was 3.4 when he saw his first panto, he loved it, but was confused about shouting at the actors because they were taught not to shout out at nursery! When we said it is O.K. he joined in with enthusiasm.

I could have done without going at all, as I had flu and sinusitis, and a hot stuffy and crowded theatre made it worse.

When he was 5 he got picked to go on stage with the comedian, and because he was excited was jigging about. The bloke said he thought it looked like a Power Rangers dance, so the orchestra played something approximating the theme tune, and DS danced! And got loud applause and cheering, an absolute gift for the bloke, as he was running out of kids who weren't freaked out by a full theatre looking at them and suddenly became pathologically shy.

SparklyBaubleFeast · 18/12/2008 20:58

first time was a playgroup trip, so dd was 2.5 ish. brill.

dylsmum1998 · 18/12/2008 21:13

girlywhirly that sounds a great thin for your ds, bless him so sweet

seeker · 18/12/2008 21:20

OK - my 7 year old is officially a wimp. I have suspected it for a while..........!

WriggleJiggle · 20/12/2008 20:14

ds is 2.8yrs, and this year sat through the same pantomime 3 times this week, she was absolutely glued to it each time.
In fact, the 1st one was a dress rehearsal so lasted 3 hours - she had to be dragged away and would have happily sat through another production.
Today she sat through the video of the show .

Janni · 20/12/2008 20:43

My 4 year old loved her first panto this year, but lots of younger children were taken out crying because it was too loud and confusing.

KewcumbersRoastingOnAnOpenFire · 20/12/2008 20:52

took DS who has pnly just turned 3 to Peter Pan he was a bit bored for the last 20 minutes but to be fair it was 2 hours 15 minutes! He loved it.

georgiemum · 20/12/2008 20:56
  1. Made the mistake of saying 'now this is a pantomime so it's not like the cinema where you need to keep quiet. You are supposed to shout out and have lots of fun.

First 15 minutes he kept yelling 'I DON'T LIKE THIS!'

He seemed to enjoy it after that though.

gemmiereindeerlegs · 20/12/2008 20:58

we went yeaterday with ds , 5 , dd, 3 ( a first timer) and dniece (2.5). it was great. we had a box so had a bit more space to move around. they all liked the shouting and the dancing, although ds was more sensitive at 3 and didn't like the small fireworks that announced the arrival of faries and genies

slavetomykids · 20/12/2008 21:33

DD was 3, and we go every year. Not always before Xmas, it depends! She is 14 and we went today and she loved it. Meanwhile ds who is 9, and has also been going since he was 3 is not so fond.

mazzystartled · 20/12/2008 21:38

took ds last year [was 3.3]

disaster

he didn't like the dark, the loud noises , the "baddies"

to eb fair though it was a bit of a shite production, we went to the arty little independent theatre, and we should have goen to the cheesy commercial one. lesson learned

Nemostwonderfultimeoftheyear · 20/12/2008 21:42

Ds saw his first panto at around 2 and a half. Took dd1 and dd2 to their firsttoday..dd1 was 3 on tues and dd2 is 2 in 2wks. They all loved it.