The Olivier Award-winning musical, based on Michael Bond's beloved character and the hit films, will open at Broadway's Al Hirschfeld Theatre in April 2027
NEED TO KNOW
- Paddington The Musical will open on Broadway in April 2027 after a record-breaking run in London’s West End
- The production won seven Olivier Awards in 2026, including Best New Musical and Best Director for Luke Sheppard
- Based on Michael Bond’s books, the show features music by Tom Fletcher and celebrates themes of family and belonging
"New York, please look after this bear."
Paddington The Musical will make its Broadway debut in spring 2027 following its record-breaking run in London's West End, producers announced on Tuesday, June 16.
The production will begin previews on March 30, 2027, at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre in New York City, before officially opening April 18.
Based on Michael Bond's beloved A Bear Called Paddington books and inspired by the hit film franchise, the musical follows the adventures of the small bear from Peru after he arrives in London searching for a place to call home. Along the way, he finds an unexpected family with the Browns while facing off against a mysterious villain.
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The production features music and lyrics by Tom Fletcher, a book by Jessica Swale and direction by Luke Sheppard.
"It has been the greatest adventure of my career to be entrusted with bringing Paddington's story to life on stage," Fletcher said in a statement. "The response from West End audiences of all ages has been unlike anything I've ever experienced."
Swale added that Broadway felt like the perfect destination for the beloved bear. "As a city that breathes theatre, storytelling and imagination, Broadway is the perfect place to celebrate this exuberant and heart-filled story," she said. "Let's just hope Paddington loves Big Apples as much as he loves oranges."
Credit: Johan Persson
Since opening in London's West End, Paddington The Musical has become one of the most celebrated new productions in recent memory. The show won seven Olivier Awards in 2026 — including Best New Musical and Best Director for Sheppard — making it the most awarded new musical in West End history. It also collected a record nine WhatsOnStage Awards and recently won the Critics' Circle Award for Best New Musical.
"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," producers Sonia Friedman and Eliza Lumley said in a joint statement. "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," they added. "As the home of so many of the world's great musicals, there is no more exciting place to produce new work than New York, and we cannot wait to share Paddington's world with Broadway audiences.”
First published in 1958, Bond's Paddington books — of which there are 29 in total — have sold more than 35 million copies worldwide and have inspired multiple television adaptations.
The character was introduced to a whole new generation in recent years thanks to the release of Paddington (2014) and Paddington 2 (2017), director Ben Whishaw's live-action films. The franchise — starring Ben Whishaw as the voice of the marmalade-loving bear, alongside Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters and Jim Broadbent — continued with Paddington in Peru (2024). A fourth film is currently in development, while a new animated feature is also in the works.
As for Broadway, further details about the musical's U.S. run (including its cast) will be released at a later date.
Tickets for the Broadway production are on sale now.
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