Paddington The Musical announces cast for its Broadway debut

Paddington The Musical has announced the first names joining its Broadway cast as the production prepares to debut in New York. The show will be heading to the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, with previews beginning on 30 March, and official opening night set for 18 April.

Olivier Award winners James Hameed and Arti Shah, who originated the role of Paddington in the West End, prepare to make their Broadway debuts as the titular bear. As in the West End production, Shah will perform the role on stage and Hameed will provide the off-voice of Paddington and serve as his remote puppeteer.

Joining them in the Broadway production of Paddington The Musical are Jessie Mueller and Drew Gehling as Mrs Brown and Mr Brown. The pair will reunite after originating the roles of Jenna and Dr Pomatter in Waitress. The cast will also include Tony Hale as Mr Curry, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer as Millicent Clyde, Karen Ziemba as Mrs Bird, Zonya Love as Tanya, Kelvin Dukes as Tony, J. Quinton Johnson as Grant, Allison Guinn as Lady Sloane, Serena Parrish as Judy Brown, and Chip Zien as Mr Gruber. The full cast is yet to be announced.

The show features a book by Jessica Swale, music and lyrics by Tom Fletcher and direction by Luke Sheppard. It will have musical supervision, orchestrations and arrangements by Matt Brind, choreography by Ellen Kane, scenic design by Tom Pye, costume design by Gabriella Slade, Paddington and puppet design by Tahra Zafar, lighting design by Neil Austin, sound design by Gareth Owen, video design and animation by Ash J Woodward, and hair, wig, and makeup design by Campbell Young Associates.

Paddington The Musical is the winner of seven Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical. Based on the Paddington books by Michael Bond and the subsequent film series, it follows the displaced bear as he searches for his place in the world, and finds an unlikely new home in London with the Brown family. It opened at the Savoy Theatre in November 2025.

Paddington The Musical is currently booking at the Savoy Theatre until 25 June 2028 – find tickets here