www.broadwayworld.com: Paddington the Musical is eyeing a 2027 bow on Broadway, Deadline reports. The production's lead producer, Sonia Friedman, revealed following the show's seven wins at the Olivier Awards, that she is hoping to bring the show to New York next year.
8 comments:
I was lucky enough to see this musical and I enjoyed it very much, but there’s one key thing that I think would make a Broadway Paddington far less successful than a West End one: sheer popularity. I was honestly shocked at the amount of children who were so gleeful about seeing the musical, and the amount of Paddington books and merch that were in so many of the London shops. (Maybe it was just because it was such a touristy area). Paddington just really isn’t as popular in the US, and far fewer kids would want to go see a children’s book iconic figure that they don’t have as much exposure to. Paddington is an incredibly British figure, from his name, to his family, to his mannerisms, to the plot points in the story. It’s almost like if we made a Curious George musical and transferred it to the West End. (I would watch the heck out of that tbh.)
This is so exciting. Paddington is one of the first movies I have a distinct memory of seeing in theaters. I'd definitely seen other movies before that, but I remember sitting there as the movie started off in black and white, in the. jungle. I was so excited when they announced this musical, and I feel like it went up really quickly. I'm not at all surprised that it was successful, especially in London. I think that it stands a solid chance of being successful here in America just like it has been in London. Americans are fascinated with this little British bear and his marmalade. I'm also excited that they've extended the West End run until 2028. That feels like such a long time to extend it through, but I suppose that also just speaks to how successful the show has been so far. I think it would be more cool to see Paddington the musical in London if given the chance, but I bringing it over to America greatly increases the chances of many people getting to see it.
As much as I want to see this show and love this family friendly story, I don't think it needs to transfer. One thing that I never understood was why West End shows seem to always transfer to Broadway. I get it for money reasons, but from what I have read, and hear, each show is a bit different or distorted from the original West End production. Not to say that is a bad thing, I just don't why West End shows can stay on the West End, especially this one. Not only is Paddington set in London, it just seems that the culture within the show resonates with London more rather than the US. I also just think that the story of Paddington is more well known throughout London because it is a London family friendly story. The producers mention how Broadway is simply expensive and with its complex puppetry work with the Paddington puppet I just wonder how much this transfer is going to end up being, compared to a longer run in the West End.
Sometimes, shows don’t need to transfer. Like, would I love to see this show? YES! Am I excited that Paddington is transferring? Of course! However, I don’t know how a children’s show about a British children’s novel is going to do on Broadway, or even if the costs of transferring this major a show are going to make a show like this make this show too expensive for the regular person to watch. Shows that transfer always becomes a little bit different, and Paddington has such a great. Story and grounding to it, I would hate to see that eaten away by the capitalist nightmarish hellscapes that are Broadway </3. It just feels as though this musical is a labor of love, especially from the video I just saw this morning of the puppet performing. As I learned from some other news comments at some point, the puppet is three different people! That in and of itself feels like love of the game as opposed to money-making techniques, I dunno. I have mixed feelings.
This is very exciting. When I heard of the musical opening in West End originally, I was honestly pretty jealous. I really wanted to see how they would pull off Paddington himself, and now that may be possible. I’ve heard a lot of great things about the show from reviews and seen some clips from the trailer and interviews and it’s all so impressive. The only thing about this show coming to Broadway that would be concerning is that I don’t think it would have as long of a run. The character is far more loved in London and the UK than it is in the United States. Which is fine and it doesn’t have to run forever, regardless of the run time the show will benefit a bunch from bringing it to the United States as it’s still a loved character and story by children and families here as well.
The paddington movies have been a huge part of my childhood. They're so charming and fun, so I think turning the series into a musical is an amazing idea and all the concepts will translate really well. Paddington looks amazing and I can tell that the vibes of this play are really charming and the plot seems really fun and humorous. I have mixed feeling on movie to stage musical adaptions at times they can be really good and add to world of the original source materials which i understand is very hard to do for any media that is adapting something else, but i feel like sometimes stage musical adaptions rely too much on the fact that they have an ip that people will recognize and don't attempt to have a riveting story( i do suppose that not all plays need the most interesting story as all as its entertaining ) i feel like at times they rely on nostalgia
We could all use Paddington the bear in our lives. I've been following the London production and I'm so excited for a possible Broadway transfer! The two actors who play Paddington just won an Oliver award which is awesome! I’m so curious if there’s ever been another production where two or more actors play one character– and win an award for it! I’m hopeful a Broadway transfer will be successful. As I’m mentioned in past news comments, not all Broadway transfers seem to be a success. Mainly due to a difference in audience in my opinion.
I’m really excited that this might come to Broadway because the design work on this show has been one of the things I’ve been most obsessed with. Paddington himself looked so perfect in the production photos and clips I’ve seen, and the fact that the costume and puppet design won an Olivier makes complete sense. What stood out to me most is how they managed to make him feel exactly like the character everyone knows while still making him work for the stage. He still has that soft, toy-like warmth, but also feels believable as a living character in the world of the show. I do get why people are questioning how it would do on Broadway. But I feel like the visual design and the charm of the character are strong enough to still connect with the audiences. I would honestly love the chance to see how they stage him on Broadway.
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