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First-look photos have been released, offering a glimpse of Bear painted paddington in new west end Musical.
Paddington The Musical, inspired by the beloved children’s books and films, begins previews at London’s Savoy Theater this Saturday.
Production follows little bear peru The Brown family took her in after a chance meeting in London railway station,
Pictures show the marmalade sandwich-loving bear arriving in the capital with his red hat, brown trunk and “Please look after this bear” tag.
Another image shows him sitting on a bed, wearing his blue duffle coat and holding a letter in his hand.
A trailer shows the character sitting on a box at Paddington, the station named after him, while a voiceover says: “This is a passenger announcement, the station is now closing, please go home.”
Paddington is being voiced by off-stage performer and remote puppeteer James Hamed, with on-stage actress Aarti Shah also helping portray the bear.
The production is adapted from the books and hit films by Michael Bond, with Ben Whishaw as the voice of the bear.
Other cast members include Amy Ellen Richardson as Mrs. Brown, Adrian Der Gregorian as Mr. Brown and Bonnie Langford in Doctor Who as Mrs. Bird.
Producers Sonia Friedman and Eliza Lumley said: “After many years of exploration and development, we are thrilled to, together with StudioCanal, finally bring Paddington to life on stage.
“What we always hoped to achieve as producers was to bring Paddington to the stage – and thanks to an extremely talented cast both on and off the stage, we believe we have achieved this.”
The music is written by Jessica Swail with music and lyrics by McFly singer Tom Fletcher.
Paddington, first published on 13 October 1958, has seen several adaptations over the years, including a BBC TV version in 1976, voiced by the late Sir Michael Hordern.
Recently films released in 2014, 2017 and 2024 performed well at the box office.
The story of Paddington and the image of the bear also inspired the latest series of the puppet-based satire series Spitting Image.
StudioCanal, which produces the Paddington films, and Paddington & Company are taking legal action against series producer Avalon, accusing them of copyright infringement.
Paddington The Musical is now taking bookings until 25th October 2026.