Pittsburgh Arts, Regional Theatre, New Work, Producing, Copyright, Labor Unions,
New Products, Coping Skills, J-O-Bs...
Theatre industry news, University & School of Drama Announcements, plus occasional course support for
Carnegie Mellon School of Drama Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alumni.
CMU School of Drama
Monday, October 20, 2025
‘People aren’t ready for it’: How Paddington the Musical took the world’s favourite bear and put him on stage
The Independent: It is, undeniably, a tall order. With his signature red hat, royal blue duffle coat and obsession with all things marmalade, the beloved bear is more than the sum of his adorable parts – he’s officially achieved national treasure status, a British icon on a par with David Attenborough and Big Ben.
It has been a really long time since I have seen the Paddington movies but I remember liking them. I am usually anti taking movies and turning them into musicals. I would rather see something new and there are few exceptions to this for me. A few examples that I do like would include things like beetlejuice or mamma mia. I think the reason I am ok with those two is because there are iconic comfort movies that did a pretty good job keeping that original story intact. I think there is potential for Paddingtion to do the same thing. However, they do not have pre-established music and that makes me nervous. It could provide some nuance but it could also derail a very loved story. I am also curious about seeing what Paddington is going to look like and how he is going to move. I think the story has a lot of potential to catch the attention of all ages. It could work for kids and adults which is helpful in terms of box office and making money.
I think that it is good to be using the story of Paddington to spread the message of kindness, that is what his story is about. But I think that the description of taking us political sledgehammer to it does not line up with also the messaging that we should welcome newcomers into our community. It feels especially relevant that they are saying that in a time, especially in the US where immigration and welcoming people into your home is extremely relevant, as in life or death for people. It feels irresponsible to be saying that giving Paddington the explicit message that immigrants are welcome here, is too political. To me it defies the Paradox of Tolerance, where being tolerant i.e. kind to everyone including those who are unkind to immigrants is inherently intolerant of immigrants. I love the story of Paddington a lot and I certainly am very excited to see how they decide to bring Paddington to life on stage, especially with how excited the team seems and with how tight lift they have been, but this specific comment felt a little disappointing to me.
2 comments:
It has been a really long time since I have seen the Paddington movies but I remember liking them. I am usually anti taking movies and turning them into musicals. I would rather see something new and there are few exceptions to this for me. A few examples that I do like would include things like beetlejuice or mamma mia. I think the reason I am ok with those two is because there are iconic comfort movies that did a pretty good job keeping that original story intact. I think there is potential for Paddingtion to do the same thing. However, they do not have pre-established music and that makes me nervous. It could provide some nuance but it could also derail a very loved story. I am also curious about seeing what Paddington is going to look like and how he is going to move. I think the story has a lot of potential to catch the attention of all ages. It could work for kids and adults which is helpful in terms of box office and making money.
I think that it is good to be using the story of Paddington to spread the message of kindness, that is what his story is about. But I think that the description of taking us political sledgehammer to it does not line up with also the messaging that we should welcome newcomers into our community. It feels especially relevant that they are saying that in a time, especially in the US where immigration and welcoming people into your home is extremely relevant, as in life or death for people. It feels irresponsible to be saying that giving Paddington the explicit message that immigrants are welcome here, is too political. To me it defies the Paradox of Tolerance, where being tolerant i.e. kind to everyone including those who are unkind to immigrants is inherently intolerant of immigrants. I love the story of Paddington a lot and I certainly am very excited to see how they decide to bring Paddington to life on stage, especially with how excited the team seems and with how tight lift they have been, but this specific comment felt a little disappointing to me.
Post a Comment