Paddington Musical Sets Broadway Debut for March 30
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- Paddington: The Musical will begin Broadway performances on March 30 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, currently home to Moulin Rouge! The Musical
- The London production, based on Michael Bond's 1958 book and the 2014 film adaptation, won seven Olivier Awards and the Critics' Circle award for best new musical
- Tom Fletcher of McFly wrote the music and lyrics, with a book by Jessica Swale and direction by Luke Sheppard; Fletcher called the West End response 'unlike anything I've ever experienced'
- The stage Paddington is a two-person act — James Hameed provides the voice and remote puppeteers, while Arti Shah performs in the furry costume — and together they won the Olivier for best actor in a musical
- Tom Edden (Mr Curry) and Victoria Hamilton-Barritt (Millicent Clyde) also won Oliviers for their London performances
- Broadway tickets start at $69 and are now on sale; the London run at the Savoy Theatre is booking until February 2028, with the majority of June and July performances already sold out
Why it matters: Sonia Friedman and Eliza Lumley are bringing a London production that swept seven Oliviers and a Critics' Circle best-new-musical award to Broadway, signaling producer confidence in a property that is already largely sold out in the West End through summer and booked until February 2028.
