Tony Hale, Jessie Mueller, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer and More to Direct PADDINGTON on Broadway

Paddington is officially Broadway bound! BroadwayWorld has learned that the Broadway cast of PADDINGTON The Musical will be led by Kelvin Dukes (“America’s Got Talent”) as Tony, Drew Gehling (Waitress) as Mr. Brown, Allison Guinn (Operation Mincemeat) as Lady Sloane, three-time Emmy Award winner Tony Hale (“Veep”) as Mr. Curry, Olivier Award winner James Hameed (Paddington The Musical Original West End Cast) as Young Man/Paddington. (Voice & Remote Puppetry), J. Quinton Johnson (Hamilton) as Grant, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer (The Fantasticks) as Millicent Clyde, Zonya Love (The Color Purple) as Tanya, Tony Award winner Jessie Mueller (Waitress) as Mrs. Brown, Serena Parrish (Don’t Say Good Luck) as Judy Brown, Olivier Award winner Arti Shah (Paddington The Musical Original West End Cast) as Paddington. (Stage Performer), Tony Award winner Karen Ziemba (Contact) as Ms. Bird, and Drama Desk Award nominee Chip Zien (Into the Woods Original Broadway Cast) as Mr. Gruber. Full casting will be announced soon.

Producers Sonia Friedman and Eliza Lumley said: “We were completely blown away by the extraordinary artists we met throughout the casting process, and by the warmth and enthusiasm with which everyone welcomed Paddington to Broadway. We truly have a dream company. These are some of the most talented artists working today, all choosing to devote their time and considerable gifts to this funny, joyful and deeply invigorating new musical. We Couldn’t feel luckier.”

“And what’s been so exciting is seeing how each of them has responded to these wonderful characters, already finding their own humor and humanity and individuality in them. We can see how much they’re all going to bring to the show.”

“We are also extremely proud to introduce Arti Shah and James Hameed to Broadway audiences. Our exceptional, award-winning duo spent years, alongside an extraordinary team of artists and technicians, developing and bringing to life Paddington itself. What they have accomplished together is truly remarkable.”

“Alongside STUDIOCANAL and our brilliant creative team and associates, led by Tom Fletcher, Jessica Swale and Luke Sheppard, we can’t wait for Broadway audiences to meet this company and, of course, a very special bear.”

The smash hit, seven-time Olivier Award winner for Best New Musical, will begin performances on Tuesday, March 30, 2027 and officially open on Sunday, April 18, 2027 at the Al Hirschfeld Theater on Broadway (302 West 45th Street).

PADDINGTON The Musical is the most awarded new musical in the history of London’s West End. The record-breaking West End production celebrated its first anniversary this month at the Savoy Theatre, where it has played to sold-out audiences since the first performance. The West End production recently announced an extension until June 25, 2028 due to unprecedented demand for tickets, with best availability starting in summer 2027.

PADDINGTON The Musical has won seven 2026 Olivier Awards, tying the record for the most wins for a musical in the history of the Olivier Awards – including Best New Musical, Best Director for Luke Sheppard, Best Actor in a Musical for James Hameed and Arti Shah, Best Set Design for Tom Pye and Ash J Woodward and Best Costume Design for Gabriella Slade and Tahra Zafar – the latter, who designed the bear. The production also received a record nine WhatsOnStage Awards –

best for any new musical – including best new musical, best direction for Luke Sheppard, best set design for Tom Pye, best costumes for Gabriella Slade and Tahra Zafar, best sound design for Gareth Owen, best wigs, hair and makeup for Campbell Young Associates; Best Musical Supervision/Direction for Matt Brind and Best Casting Direction for Natalie Gallacher, for Pippa Ailion & Natalie Gallacher Casting, Nick Hockaday and Annabelle Davis. The production also recently won the Critics’ Circle Award for Best New Musical.

Based on the beloved “A Bear Called Paddington” written by Michael Bond and the award-winning film “PADDINGTON”, by special agreement with STUDIOCANAL, PADDINGTON The Musical features music and lyrics by Olivier Award winner Tom Fletcher, a book by Olivier Award winner Jessica Swale, and direction by Olivier Award winner Luke Sheppard.

PADDINGTON The Musical features musical supervision, orchestrations and arrangements by Olivier Award nominee Matt Brind; choreography by Tony and Olivier Award nominee Ellen Kane; scenic design by Olivier Award winner and Tony Award nominee Tom Pye; costume design by Tony and Olivier Award winner Gabriella Slade; Paddington and the Puppet Design of Olivier Award winner Tahra Zafar; lighting design by Tony and Olivier Award winner Neil Austin; sound design by Tony and Olivier award winner Gareth Owen; video design and animation by Olivier Award winner Ash J Woodward; hair, wig and makeup design by Campbell Young Associates; casting by Jim Carnahan Casting, Jim Carnahan, CSA and Jason Thinger, CSA; Annabelle Davis, casting consultant at Paddington; Bear physics and additional puppets by Audrey Brisson; and Aubrey Smalls is Access Coordinator.

The most awarded new musical in West End history plays to sold-out audiences and captures hearts of all ages. Now Paddington is packing his bags and preparing for his next adventure: Broadway.

In PADDINGTON The Musical, a little lost bear from Peru arrives in London looking for a home. A chance meeting with the Browns leads him into an unexpected world of adventure, where kindness has the power to change lives and strangers can become family.

But London isn’t all afternoon tea and friendly faces – and even the happiest of seemingly happy families can have cracks beneath the surface. So when a mysterious and vengeful villain sets his sights on Paddington, the Browns embark on a thrilling rescue mission, realizing they need this special bear as much as he does.

Filled with laughter, wonder, spectacular songs, dazzling choreography and a generous helping of marmalade, PADDINGTON The Musical is based on the beloved Michael Bond characters, with a story inspired by the award-winning films developed and produced by STUDIOCANAL with Heyday films and distributed by STUDIOCANAL worldwide. It features original music and lyrics by Tom Fletcher, book by Jessica Swale, and direction by Luke Sheppard.

“PADDINGTON The Musical – Original Cast Recording”, written by Tom Fletcher and produced by Matt Brind, is out now on Decca Records and available to stream here. The album is the best-selling original physical West End recording of the 21st century in the United Kingdom. Less than 6 months after PADDINGTON The Musical opened in the West End, the Paddington album, recently released on vinyl, CD, cassette and Yoto, topped the Official UK Compilation Chart. Not since the 1990s has a recording of original music for a brand new stage production reached this level of popularity so quickly. Passers-by stopped in their tracks when Paddington was spotted at the famous Abbey Road Studios crossing. This landed him on the cover of Rolling Stone UK magazine, another first for the unassuming bear.

Michael Bond’s “A Bear Called Paddington” was published in 1958 by Collins, later Harper Collins – the first of 29 Paddington books he wrote, the last being “Paddington at St. Paul’s,” published posthumously in 2018. The books have sold more than 35 million copies worldwide.

Paddington has been adapted for television several times – first by the BBC in 1976, voiced by Michael Hordern; and more recently by STUDIOCANAL which developed and produced three series of Emmy & Annie award-winning “The Adventures of Paddington”, with Heyday Films, Simon Quinn and Karen Davidson. Paddington has had three successful big screen releases, released theatrically to critical and commercial acclaim, developed and produced by STUDIOCANAL with the Heyday films and distributed by STUDIOCANAL worldwide. A fourth feature film is in development with Armando Iannucci attached to write the screenplay with his co-writer Simon Blackwell. A new Paddington animated feature film is also in development, which will introduce Paddington to a new, younger generation across all geographies and with an exciting new look for Paddington. As the proud owner of the Paddington intellectual property, STUDIOCANAL has grown Paddington into a globally recognized brand over the past 12 years. The Paddington films are the highest-grossing independent family franchise of all time, grossing over $800 million worldwide, including Paddington in Peru.