Music and Lyrics: Tom Fletcher
Book: Jessica Swale
Director: Luke Sheppard
Next year will see the 70th anniversary of the moment when writer Michael Bond bought his wife a small, rather forlorn teddy bear as a Christmas present – a gift that would inspire him to write one of literature’s most beloved children’s characters.
Paddington Bear’s first published story followed in 1958, and the series has remained popular ever since. Different generations have encountered him through different media, such as the stop-motion children’s animation narrated by Sir Michael Hordern, which debuted in 1976, or the more recent film series with Ben Whishaw voicing the bear from darkest Peru.
Now, Paddington’s origin story is retold for a new audience, with a musical inspired by both Bond’s books and the screenplay of the 2014 film. And just as the label around Paddington’s neck when he first arrives in London reads, “Please look after this bear,” it always feels as if this quintessential character is in safe hands.
Jessica Swale’s book leans into magical realism, turning Mr Gruber’s junk/antique shop into an emporium of curiosities, where James Hameed’s young man first picks up a forlorn teddy, just as Bond did 70 years ago. From there, the story expands, turning the original act of transforming that toy into a real bear into a story and solidifying it on stage.
When the real Paddington arrives, we feel it is an extension of Hameed’s character, a proxy for all newcomers to London (“In London, everyone is different,” Paddington tells us, “and that means anyone can fit in”). Hameed provides the bear’s voice from offstage and administers the complex facial puppetry that makes the character feel so alive.
And alive it really is. The combination of a real person in the bear suit (usually played by Arti Shah, although in the reviewed performance the character was taken on by alternate Abbie Purvis) and some extremely expressive electronics means that the adult sensation of wondering how the effect is achieved soon relinquishes to the childlike glee of seeing Paddington on stage.
With Paddington, of course, comes mayhem. As he settles into the Notting Hill home of the Brown family, headed by Amy Ellen Richardson’s artistic, dreaming Mary and conservative-with-a-small-C Henry (Adrian Der Gregorian), Tom Pye’s ingenious set design crashes and collapses with slapstick delight.
It’s a big set-piece comedy moment that elevates an already joyous script. From the outset, Swale’s light comedic touch makes its presence known, from pastiches of railway announcements to a rhyming slang-obsessed pigeon. It’s a level of comedy that is elevated by some large-than-life – often unhingedly so – performances.
Perhaps the most expected of these comes from Victoria Hamilton-Barritt, a demented collector who wants to capture and stuff Paddington to put him on display at the Natural History Museum. Hamilton-Barritt can always be relied upon for wholly unpredictable line readings, as anyone who saw her turn in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella can attest.
Her presence also helps to set the tone for a couple of other characters. Tom Edden’s Mr Curry, a neighbour of the Browns who becomes Paddington’s unintentional nemesis in the books, gets a massively expanded role (based on the one he acquires in the 2014 film), including sharing the big song-and-dance number opening Act II, a duet with Paddington extolling the virtues of marmalade.
Perhaps quirkiest of all is Amy Booth-Steel, who, as several characters, seems determined to make Hamilton-Barritt and Edden look like they are underplaying their roles. In her turn as Lady Sloane, the head of the Geographer’s Guild, she delivers a larger-than-life character with an unplaceable accent (a descendant, perhaps, of the English policeman in ’Allo ’Allo!) and steals every scene.
If this piece were just a stage play, it would already be nearly perfect. As a stage musical, it flies. Tom Fletcher’s songs may not be instant smashes, but they imbue the same sense of spectacle and wonder that Paddington’s stories have projected over the decades. They also include an ode to London – the version of the city that Paddington sees – that could do worse than serve as the capital’s anthem.
Quality is riven throughout this musical, with the ensemble packed with astutely cast roles. Brenda Edwards may be slightly underused as Tanya, another neighbour of the Browns, but her presence is sharply felt throughout, especially when she doubles as the voice of Paddington’s Aunt Lucy, a voice of reason, calm and love calling out from Darkest Peru. Furthermore, Bonnie Langford excels as Mrs Bird (now a lodger of the Browns, a more modern take on the housekeeper role she initially had in the books), managing to riff on her famous role as a member of the original company of Cats and being as much an inspiration to the audience as she is to the onstage characters.
But this is, and always will be, Paddington’s show. Hammed, Shah and the alternates who also take on the ursine costume have created a version of the character which is both unique to this show and quintessentially the same bear that has entranced generations.
It feels a cast-iron surety that Paddington will be a West End fixture for quite some time. As December brings 2025 to a close, it would not be a surprise to see the musical come top of many people’s lists for show of the year. It’s an entrancing delight, a faithful yet brand new evocation of the beloved literary character.
Its simple message – being kind is not complicated, and we should be kind to all new arrivals – is not only warming, it feels necessary for this moment. And anyone who disagrees will have to face a legion of fans, each giving them a Very Hard Stare.
Booking until 25 October 2026
