the nutcracker ballet at christmas

[JackiePaper]

is it any good for childern who will be 5 and a half and nearly 3? (boy and girl respectively) i have fond memories of seeing it as a child in the run up to christmas but not really sure if mine will be the right age this year.

if you have taken children to see it how old were they and did they enjoy it (are there any scary bits?)

oh and i know it's early to think about christmas but i was thinking of taking them last year and it was sold out by october!

I hope it's ok for DD who will be 6.5 in december as i have already booked for us to go! Have not booked for DS as he will only be 3.5 so a bit too young I think.

I took DD earlier this year to see Giselle at the ROH, she was 5.5 and sat through nearly 3 hours totally enthralled.

HTH.

Think it depends on how likely they are to sit still through the whole thing - it can be quite long and hard for young children to follow without words! Think the only scary bits are the rats...

I know I took dd when she was around 6 and a half - but she was doing ballet so was interested from that pov.

Maybe try a DVD of it first to see how interested they are? A panto might be a better bet at their age tbh...

have just looked online and is getting sold out quickly already!

question is is it worth the risk at £117 for all of us to go

btw running time is 2 hrs apparently, will there be an interval do you think?

I took my 5 year old over a year ago and she was transfixed, but she is into ballet. I think they will enjoy the experience ,its magical.

there is an interval. I took a supply of snacks for DD went we went to see Giselle which i think helped keep her in her seat! But it was obvious to me she just loved it, i spent as much time watching her face as i did watching the ballet! And DD is not doing ballet herself but she loves dance and music.

jackie, i would not take your younger DC, can you leave her at home with a grown up of course! and just take the older one?

also i should mention that for Giselle we had fab seats, front row royal circle and i think that made a huge difference to DD's enjoyment of it. They do provide booster cushions for children though so you should be ok wherever you sit. Although i have booked front row again £140 just for 2 tickets. But worth it imo as DD will love it and hopefully remember it for a long time to come.

hmm i am torn. dd (3 in january) loves music, dancing and all things ballerina and princessy. half of me thinks she will sit enthralled by the music and dancing, and half of me thinks she won't stay in her seat and will annoy everyone else! don't really want to just take ds, only going to go if it's going to be a special family trip.

hmm if there is an interval that's not too bad. 2 lots of an hour sitting still is more manageable that 2hrs straight.

they don't have a minimum age on children allowed in do they? (birmingham btw)

how old was your dd when you took her to see giselle oneplusone?

seats are rows H, J or K in the front circle, but right on the left hand side (still get a good view i think) (they are only offering half price child tickets on certain seats)

jackie, she was 5.5 and wasn't then and still isn't now going to ballet classes. We had a lovely girly day out, went for a lovely meal afterwards, was one of the best days ever!

thanks for all the advice everyone, i think i will leave it til next year when she will be nearly 4, and probably get much more out of it.

have booked tickets to see the snow dragon (by the theatre company who did the gruffalo) at warwick arts centre in dec, more aimed at their age group only 55 mins and about a quarter of the price!

wonder if i could persuade dh to take me to the nutcracker and get a babysitter.......

I am taking dd1 and 2 who are 7 and 5...
personally I would think your ds might be a little too young