The Way Back Home - Live on Stage!

The Way Back Home is a family theatre show based on a picture-book story by Oliver Jeffers, the award-winning author of How to Catch a Star and Lost and Found. It is staged live in Abu Dhabi and is aimed at children and the grown-ups who come with them.

The story follows a small boy with a big appetite for adventure. One day he finds a plane in his cupboard, takes it up higher and higher, and finally runs out of petrol and lands on the moon. Alone and a little scared, he meets an alien who has crash-landed there too. The two have to work out who the other is, whether they can be friends, and how either of them will ever get home.

The answer lies in generosity and teamwork. While the boy goes back to Earth to fetch supplies, the pair set about repairing their machines together. The show is a warm, space-bound adventure about friendship, cooperation and the idea that differences stop mattering when someone needs help.

The performance takes place at the Cultural Foundation, one of Abu Dhabi's best-known cultural venues. It sits in the city centre, close to the Corniche and the Marina Mall side of town, and is a place for exhibitions, art and performances. For Dubai residents it is a drive of about an hour and a half, so it works well as a day out with children.

Like most theatre for young audiences, this is a seated show, with a story simple enough to follow for younger children yet warm enough for parents. It suits families looking for a screen-free outing with a gentle message about kindness and working together.