Can Paddington The Musical shake up Broadway’s family business? For more than 30 years, that business has largely belonged to Disney. Beauty and the Beast opened in 1994, The Lion King is closing in on three decades on Broadway, and Aladdin is in its 13th year at the New Amsterdam.
But a kid’s first trip to Broadway shouldn’t always come with mouse ears. Paddington The Musical arrives with a pedigree that has nothing to do with a castle logo: Michael Bond’s books, songs by Tom Fletcher of McFly and a book by Jessica Swale.
London’s sweet on him. Will New York be?
London certainly fell hard. The show won seven Olivier Awards in 2026, tying the record for a musical, and its Savoy Theatre run is now extended through June 2028. Transfers are tricky, though. What charms the West End doesn’t always translate on Broadway, where British whimsy can land a little differently.
The producers are betting on the bear himself. Olivier winners Arti Shah (onstage) and James Hameed (voice and remote puppetry) share the title role and will both make their Broadway debuts.
How excited are we to see Jessie Mueller back on Broadway?
Very. The Tony winner (Beautiful) hasn’t been on a Broadway stage since Tracy Letts’ The Minutes in 2022, and her last musical here was Carousel in 2018. She’ll play Mrs. Brown opposite her Waitress co-star Drew Gehling (Mr. Brown).
Tony Hale (Mr. Curry), Karen Ziemba (Mrs. Bird), Chip Zien (Mr. Gruber) and Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer (villain Millicent Clyde, the role Nicole Kidman played on film) give grown-ups plenty of reasons to tag along.
Fast facts: ‘Paddington The Musical’
- Al Hirschfeld Theatre, 302 W. 45th Street, New York City
- Notable performers: James Hameed, Arti Shah, Jessie Mueller, Drew Gehling, Karen Ziemba, Chip Zien, Tony Hale
- Previews begin March 30, with an opening scheduled for April 18, 2027
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