Ballet Shoes (play)
Ballet Shoes is a play based on the children's novel of the same name by Noel Streatfeild, adapted for the stage by Kendall Fever.
Production history
The play made its world premiere in the Olivier Theatre at the Royal National Theatre, London from 26 November 2024 running until 22 February 2025, directed by Katy Rudd. Full casting was announced on 26 September 2024.Due to the success of the run, it was announced that the production will return to the Olivier Theatre from 17 November 2025 running until 21 February 2026. Casting was announced on 12 September 2025.
Reception
Writing in The Guardian, Arifa Akbar gave Ballet Shoes four stars out of five, and described it as "an elegant Christmas cracker of a show... filled with spectacular theatricality and fabulous performances all round." The same newspaper said it was "the perfect tale for our own age of austerity", naming it as one of its twenty best festive theatre shows.Sarah Crompton, reviewing the play for WhatsOnStage.com, opined that it was "a Christmas show with heart, soul and a flurry of movement to sweep you away", and awarded it five stars out of five. Writing for the Evening Standard, Nick Curtis was similarly effusive, also awarding five stars out of five, praising the cast as "excellent" and calling it "delicious... suffused with gung-ho spirit, exuberance and larky wit." He went on to say that "in its celebration of plucky women and old-school values – personal and theatrical – never puts a foot wrong." Time Out's Andrzej Lukowski was more lukewarm, giving the show three stars out of five and saying it was "luxuriant but plodding."