Paddington The Musical - Savoy Theatre: A bear very well taken care of
Image by: Johan Persson
⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ - 99% • 4 minutes 55 seconds read time
Characters and stories that span decades and generations are few and far between, and it’s fewer still that have been taken into the hearts of a nation quite like Paddington. That little bear has been a firm favourite of families up and down the country ever since he arrived from Peru in 1958, so putting him on stage in a brand new musical was always going to be a mammoth undertaking. So mammoth, in fact, it took nearly ten years of development to get it on stage - but my goodness, was it worth the wait.
This brand new musical, with a book by Jessica Swale and music and lyrics by Tom Fletcher, is based on Michael Bond’s 1958 book A Bear Called Paddington and the 2014 film Paddington. I had so many questions when it was announced. How would they do the bathroom scene? How would they do the Natural History Museum rooftop? And, crucially, how would they put a bear on stage?
This isn’t the first show to utilise puppetry, but the challenge with Paddington is that this is his story. Get the presentation of him wrong and, even if everything else is right, the show simply won’t work. They get it so, so right. Tahra Zafar, the lead designer responsible for bringing Paddington to life, has combined costume, remote puppetry, and animatronics to create something magnificent. In doing so, she has absolutely changed the accepted understanding of what can be achieved on stage.
And her design is in the safest of hands. Arti Shah performs inside the costume on stage, while James Hameed voices Paddington off stage and operates the remote puppetry. It cannot be overstated how difficult it is to voice act off stage, trusting implicitly that your on stage counterpart will match you with physicality, timing and nuance, and vice versa. They more than rise to it though, together they absolutely capture the magic of Paddington Bear.
There is just so much to love about this production. The set design by Tom Pye, which isn’t constrained to the stage and instead spills out into the auditorium, is inspired. This is ultimately a show for families, which means young children. Having the world we want them immersed in, there for them to start taking in before the show even begins, sets them up far better for what is a long time for them to stay focused. Ash Woodward’s video and animation work supports this perfectly, enhancing the physical set without ever replacing it, which I greatly applaud.
Looking at the cast list, it will come as no surprise to theatre fans that each and every performance is a knockout, making it hard to single out standouts. That said, I was seriously impressed by Delilah Bennett-Cardy as Judy Brown. For such a young performer, she already has a real understanding of acting with honesty. Tom Edden has funny bones, and is perfectly cast as Mr Curry. Tarinn Callender’s Grant may not have many big vocal moments, but when his moment to shine arrives, he does not waste a moment of it.
But it has to be said, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt’s Millicent Clyde is a treat sweeter than the ripest marmalade. One of our finest character actresses, she also happens to have a glorious voice and can eat up choreography. The songs Tom Fletcher has crafted for her are beautifully constructed. Pretty Little Dead Things may be the best villain song in a musical since Lin-Manuel Miranda penned The Room Where It Happens. Combine that with Ellen Kane’s choreography, it is a performance not to be missed.
Writing the music and lyrics for a modern musical is no easy task. There’s so much to consider; you want it to feel current, but not so current it feels dated in three years. Timeless, but not so timeless it already feels old today. In keeping with the show, yet flexible enough to stream, but not so pop-driven it stops feeling like musical theatre. I genuinely do not know how you achieve all of that at once, but Tom Fletcher does, because he has. He has also pulled reference points from the many genres that you’d hear around the city, with Rhythm of London a particular standout. Personally, I cannot wait for the cast album to drop so I can have it on repeat.
What I loved most about this production, though, is that it truly understands what the story of Paddington is. The message that has always sat at its heart is that we are made better when we open ourselves to those who are different from us. London is not a city full of life, culture and excitement because it closed itself off and refused to let people in. This is an immigrant story, and a call to be kind. To step into the world and carry the goodwill you feel towards this fictional bear and apply it to the very real people he represents. I will not spoil how the show reinforces this, but Luke Sheppard’s direction in those moments is genuinely beautiful.
It is such a special show, and I am frankly glad that it exists. Matilda has been doing the heavy lifting for family theatre in the West End for a long time. It is only a good thing that London finally has another family show that appeals across ages, genders and interests. However, access to that experience should not be limited to children from wealthy families.
The show is remarkable. Ten years of development is costly, and I am under no illusions that this was anything other than an astronomical investment to make happen. I understand that. It is still too expensive. For a family of four to see this show during the summer holidays, in seats where children can see well enough to stay engaged for two hours and forty-five minutes, they are looking at around £520. Even outside peak season in September, that figure is still closer to £480. And frankly, for a show like this, the front stalls should be full of families, kids having the time of their lives. For that to happen, those families would be looking at a total spend of £700-£800. That is exclusionary pricing, and it feels fundamentally at odds with the essence of the show itself.
This show is going to run and run, of that I have no doubt - but only if the audience can access it. Lowering prices, even if it takes longer to recoup, would sustain audience flow and better position the production for a long, healthy run.
Costs aside, Paddington really is a practically perfect production. Everyone involved should be immensely proud of what they have created. There was one job to do, and it was done with aplomb. They really did take care of that bear.
Paddington is booking now on an open ended run. Current booking period up to February 14th 2027. Best availability from November 2026.