News · 14 August 2026
Why the Tabard Tells Classic Stories at Christmas
Every theatre has its Christmas tradition. For many, it's pantomime. At the Tabard, ours has become something rather different.
Each Christmas we return to the great children's classics, creating original family productions that invite audiences to rediscover the stories they thought they knew.
In recent years we've uncovered the secrets of The Secret Garden, travelled with The Railway Children, discovered the extraordinary Psammead in Five Children and It, and journeyed through the magical world of The Snow Queen. This Christmas, we set sail aboard the Hispaniola with Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island.
These productions have become one of the theatre's defining traditions, delighting audiences of all ages and earning widespread critical acclaim.
"It is simple magic. And it is simply magic."
The Spy in the Stalls on The Secret Garden
"Louise Haddington's fluid script is spot on and reflects her skill at adapting children's traditional story books into heartwarming dramas."
Chiswick W4 on The Snow Queen
“The production values are fantastic... the famous set piece will not disappoint.”
London Pub Theatres on The Railway Children
So why do we keep returning to these books?
Because the greatest children's stories were never written just for children.
Long before televisions, tablets or even radio, families gathered together to read these stories aloud. They thrilled to adventures, laughed with unforgettable characters and escaped into worlds far beyond their own. We believe there's something rather wonderful about keeping that tradition alive.
Our Christmas productions celebrate the joy of storytelling.
Created especially for the intimacy of the Tabard Theatre, they use a small company of actors, imaginative staging, original music and theatrical invention to transform the stage into worlds of adventure. A hidden garden can bloom before our eyes. A steam train can thunder past. A pirate ship can sail the Spanish Main and a Reindeer can save the heroine. With a little imagination, anything becomes possible.
The 2024 magical production of The Snow Queen won the Standing Ovation Award for Outstanding Production Values.
That's one of the great joys of live theatre.
Children embrace it instinctively.
Adults often rediscover it.
Whenever we adapt one of these much-loved books, our aim is to remain true to the heart and spirit of the original story while creating a thrilling theatrical adventure for today's audience. We want those who already know the book to recognise an old friend, and those discovering it for the very first time to understand why it has been treasured for generations.
Every adaptation begins with one simple question:
Why has this story endured?
The answer is never the pirates, the hidden garden, the railway or the magic.
It's the people.
Jim Hawkins discovering courage.
Mary Lennox learning to love.
Bobbie finding hope.
A group of adventurous siblings discovering that imagination can change everything.
These are stories about growing up, friendship, kindness, loyalty and adventure. They continue to speak to every generation because, beneath the excitement, they remind us what it means to be human.
Perhaps that's why we return to them every Christmas.
This year, we're delighted to invite audiences aboard the Hispaniola for the next chapter in the Tabard's Christmas tradition.
Whether you're discovering Treasure Island for the very first time, or returning to one of the greatest adventure stories ever written, we hope you'll join us for a voyage filled with imagination, laughter, danger and heart.
After all, the very best stories are the ones worth sharing.
Set sail for Treasure Island this Christmas
The next adventure awaits...
Join us for the next chapter in the Tabard’s Christmas tradition, as Robert Louis Stevenson’s great pirate adventure comes to life on our intimate stage.