“Paddington: The Musical,” which has been a critical and commercial hit in London since beginning performances there last fall, will open on Broadway next spring, potentially providing a jolt to an industry hungering for a next big thing.
The musical is a retelling of the cherished, enduring and quintessentially British stories about a kind, courteous and marmalade-loving Peruvian bear who is taken in by a family that discovers him at a train station shortly after his arrival in London. The character was the subject of children’s books written by Michael Bond, the first of which was published in 1958; Paddington has also been the subject of three recent movie adaptations.
The stage adaptation, a family-friendly adventure story, was named the best new musical at this year’s Olivier Awards — London’s equivalent of the Tony Awards; British critics were also won over.
“Something happened which happens maybe once in your career — the musical exploded and we couldn’t keep up with the interest,” a lead producer, Sonia Friedman, said. “And we’re still in that place now. Our job has always been to look after this bear, but the people have taken him on and are doing the looking after alongside of us.”
The Broadway production is scheduled to start previews on March 30, 2027, and to open April 18 at the Al Hirschfeld Theater, whose current occupant, “Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” is set to close on Aug. 30. It is directed by Luke Sheppard (“& Juliet”), and features songs by Tom Fletcher and a book by Jessica Swale.
Friedman’s company is producing the musical along with Studiocanal, a European film and television studio that owns the worldwide Paddington rights, and Eliza Lumley Productions on behalf of Universal Music UK, a onetime sister company of Studiocanal. At a time of growing concern about Broadway ticket prices, the producers say their tickets will start at $69. (The Hirschfeld Theater has about 1,400 seats; by contrast, the Savoy Theater, where the show is playing in London, has 1,100 seats.)
Friedman and Lumley, speaking in a joint video interview, said they expect to make some tweaks to the show before it arrives on Broadway — fixing things they didn’t get to before the London opening, and removing a few British references that are not likely to resonate with American audiences; overall, though, they believe the story’s Britishness will be an asset and not a liability. “Anything that will go over an audience’s head we will repurpose, but we’re not going to suddenly be setting it in Brooklyn,” Friedman said.
The show took more than six years to develop; central to that process was figuring out how to portray Paddington onstage. After experimenting with various forms of puppetry, the producers and creative team decided to go in a different direction, partly because they realized the narrative necessity and emotional power of seeing Paddington isolated and alone, which precluded the use of visible puppeteers.
Instead, they embraced an unusual and, thus far, successful solution — an actor of short stature portrays the bear in costume, working in tandem with another actor, generally offstage, who supplies the bear’s voice. The production considers that pair of performers its joint stars. (The bear is usually around 3 feet 9 inches tall, depending on the height of the performer.)
And why is the show working? “One of the things that Paddington does is that he looks for the best in everyone and everything, which is something that’s landing very profoundly with audiences,” Lumley said. “As the world has become darker, the lightness and joy of the story have become more relevant.”
Friedman, a prolific producer in London and New York, has been outspoken about the problems posed by the rising costs of producing on Broadway. But, she said, “Broadway is the home of the musical, and obviously New York has to be part of our plan.” She added, “If we didn’t do it, I couldn’t call myself a producer.”
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