Playbill: London's Paddington stage musical has revealed more casting—but with a notable absence. We still don't know how the production is handling its titular marmalade-loving bear, nor who will be involved with whatever the production has dreamed up. The show has officially announced that they're keeping their furry star under wraps until the first preview, November 1 at the Savoy Theatre. Opening night is November 30.
8 comments:
I am so excited to see how they choose to bring Paddington to life, especially if it is with puppetry! I love live puppetry and how unique of a performance it always is to see. I love the technical aspects of puppet building and the work that goes into the mechanics of puppet movement as well as the aesthetics that are in play to really create the character.I also think it is just so interesting to watch the performer behind the puppet and how they are incorporated or separated from the puppet and what their acting brings to the character and the show as a whole. If they choose something other than puppetry I am curious what that might be, I could imagine something being done with projection and animation or maybe an actor in a bear costume even?! Ever since I was introduced to Paddington I was so curious how or if it could be brought to live performance and I'm so thrilled that it is!
I am extremely curious to see how they are planning to bring this bear to life, someone is going to have to voice the character but will they do that from onstage or backstage. I wonder if they will take the route of Frozen, where they use a human voicing the character with a puppet attached to the actor. Or take the way of Lion King where they turn the actor into the animal. I doubt that they will turn the whole actor into the bear because there are many other humans in the musical so I don’t believe it would give enough contrast from the animals to the humans. Yet also if they choose to take the route of using a puppet, it gives the question to why would they hide the design choice, if other shows have already done the same thing, this article feels like its building up to a new and innovative way to bring talking animals to the stage.
I grew up with a Paddington book that I absolutely adored, so hearing that he’s coming to the stage is really exciting. What interests me the most is the mystery of how they’ll choose to bring him to life. If they go with puppetry, it could give the show a playful, childlike charm. If they use creative costumes, it might feel a bit more theatrical and whimsical. Personally, I’d love to see a version with less technology, since Paddington has always felt like he belongs to a more retro, timeless world. Still, however they decide to do it, I’m sure it will be something imaginative. The fact that they’re keeping the reveal a secret until the first preview makes it feel like we’re waiting for a magical surprise, which is so fitting for such an iconic character. Paddington has always represented warmth, kindness, and curiosity, and I can’t wait to see how the creative team captures that spirit on stage.
Reading about the Paddington Musical got me really curious because they’re keeping the biggest part of the show a total secret. They’ve announced the creative team and when it’s opening, but the whole mystery around how Paddington himself will look on stage is so fun to me. I wonder if it’ll be a big puppet, someone in a suit, or maybe even some mix of both like Audrey 2 in Little Shop of Horrors. I like that they’re saving the reveal for when previews start because it makes people want to buy tickets just to see how they pull it off. Paddington has always been such a warm and cozy character in books and movies, so translating that to live theater seems like a challenge, but also really exciting. It feels like the kind of show that could work for kids and adults at the same time, which makes me want to see how it all comes together.
I'm so curious and excited about this show. I love paddington, the concept of a bear that wears little clothes and eats marmalade is just incredibly appealing to me. I love the fact that they have yet to announce how they will have paddington on stage. Personally I'm hoping for a very well trained live bear, or if that isn't feasible, possibly a puppet. I think puppetry is so cool, and how they incorporate the puppeteer is always something I find very cool. I love Gabriella Slade's work, and her designs from six are one of my favorites of all time. I think that the way she uses silhouette and the movement of costumes is so cool and I can't wait to see what she does with paddington, especially if she's costuming a puppeteer. This does make me wonder though, if you have a puppet that wears clothes, does the designer making the puppet get to dress it or does the costume designer design the puppet's costumes as well?
I am looking forward to seeing how this show will bring Paddington to the stage. Will he be a person in a costume, an animatronic, an animation being projected, or some combination of all three styles. I don't know which angle the show is planning on taking, and personally I don't know which one I would like to see either. Though I would expect some of his appearances to be animations due to the fact that the show has brought on an animator as part of the creative team. Regardless of this fact I still hope that the show decides to bring Paddington to life in a more physical way as well especially to see the moments where he interacts will some of the other characters in the story. Either way I think this story will make for a wonderful live musical experience that I look forward to hear about or even seeing.
I’m actually pretty divided on how I feel about this as a marketing move. I’m super excited about this Paddington musical, and I definitely have high hopes that it will succeed and bring in a pretty wide audience. I think that the Paddington books/movies/etc. are such classics, and are classics for a wide range of ages and audiences, so hopefully that will bring a wide demographic in to see the show. Over the years, we have seen so many different types of puppets on theatrical stages, and I think that in many of these shows, it is the puppet that is selling a lot of the tickets. Part of me thinks that it is a little dramatic to be trying to keep the puppet as a “secret” and unless they genetically engineered Paddington, trying to build months of hype will only lead to a level of disappointment for what the bear actually looks like.
Bro! I need to know who will be playing Paddington! That is the title character and will either make or break that show. I know they are taking their time so that they can find the perfect actor to play that iconic and immediately recognizable part, but I need to know. I do completely understand why they are taking their time, and I am appreciative of them for doing so so that the show can be the best possible version of itself. It needs to be perfect. Although I have high hopes for this show, my real-life expectations do not compare in the slightest. I fear that it will probably not be very good, which, as sad as that is, kind of makes sense. Like, after 3 movies, where are you going to dip into the storyline? It is just a retelling of the first movie, or is it a continuation after the ending of the 3rd movie? The 3rd movie left with him staying in bear land, which, while an absolute tear-jerker, does not really leave much room to explore the storyline further.
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