Paddington The Musical is officially coming to Broadway.
The musical, based on the book character and subsequent Paddington film, will begin performances at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on March 30, 2027, with an opening night April 18. The show, which has been long-rumored for Broadway, comes after a buzzy London run, where it won seven Oliver Awards, including best new musical, and has been playing to sold-out audiences.
The show features music and lyrics by Tom Fletcher, a book by Jessica Swale and direction by Luke Sheppard. Casting for the Broadway musical has not yet been announced. In London, the show is led by Arti Shah, who is performing inside the bear costume and James Hameed, who provides the bear’s voice and controls its facial expressions. The production also stars Amy Ellen Richardson (Mrs. Brown), Adrian Der Gregorian (Mr. Brown) and Bonnie Langford (Mrs. Bird).
The London production will also continue its run, with tickets currently on sale through February 2028.
The plot of the show centers on Paddington, a lost bear from Peru who arrives in London in search of a new home. After being taken in by the Brown family, he finds himself entangled with an unexpected villain and the family must embark on a rescue mission.
The musical will be produced on Broadway by Sonia Friedman, the producer of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Stranger Things: The First Shadow and more, and Eliza Lumley.
“Producing Paddington The Musical with our extraordinary writing and creative team has been an immense privilege. Paddington Bear has endured for generations because he reminds us of the best of ourselves: kindness, curiosity, empathy and the belief that everyone deserves to belong. Wrapped inside a joyful theatrical adventure, with Tom Fletcher’s exceptional score at its heart, is a story about finding home, family and community in unexpected places. We have been genuinely blown away by the response to the production so far and are thrilled to be bringing it to Broadway,” Friedman and Lumley said.
The musical takes over the theater after the end of Moulin Rouge’s seven-year run, which ends in July. It will be in possible Tony Awards contention with other announced new musicals including Wanted and Galileo.
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