Paddington The Musical, the seven-time Olivier Award-winning West End musical, is heading to Broadway: Previews begin Tuesday, March 30, 2027, at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, with an official opening on Sunday, April 18.

Based on the classic children’s book A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond and the award-winning film Paddington, the musical, by special arrangement with Studiocanal, features music and lyrics by Tom Fletcher, a book by Jessica Swale and direction by Luke Sheppard.

The Broadway engagement was announced today by producers Sonia Friedman Productions, Studiocanal and Eliza Lumley Productions on behalf of Universal Music UK.

Composer Tom Fletcher said in a statement, “It has been the greatest adventure of my career to be entrusted with bringing Paddington’s story to life on stage alongside my brilliant creative collaborators Jessica, Luke and our producers Sonia and Eliza. The response from West End audiences of all ages has been unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s a great privilege to welcome New York audiences into Paddington’s world of curiosity and I am absolutely thrilled at the opportunity for this very rare and special bear to be on Broadway.”

Casting for the Broadway production was not announced.

“I couldn’t be more excited to bring Paddington to New York,” said book writer Swale. “As a city that breathes theatre, storytelling and imagination, Broadway is the perfect place to celebrate this exuberant and heart-filled story. I can’t wait. Let’s just hope Paddington loves Big Apples as much as he loves oranges.”

Director Sheppard said, “Paddington approaches life with curiosity, kindness and an unwavering sense of adventure, and what an adventure Broadway will be. It’s a dream come true to be bringing this joyful show to New York and I can’t wait for audiences to meet this very special bear that we all hold so close to our hearts.”

Producers Friedman and Lumley said, “Producing Paddington The Musical with our extraordinary writing and creative team has been an immense privilege. Paddington Bear has endured for generations because he reminds us of the best of ourselves: kindness, curiosity, empathy and the belief that everyone deserves to belong. Wrapped inside a joyful theatrical adventure, with Tom Fletcher’s exceptional score at its heart, is a story about finding home, family and community in unexpected places. We have been genuinely blown away by the response to the production so far and are thrilled to be bringing it to Broadway. As the home of so many of the world’s great musicals, there is no more exciting place to produce new work than New York, and we cannot wait to share Paddington’s world with Broadway audiences.”

The musical features 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.

The West End production of Paddington won seven 2026 Olivier Awards, tying the record for the most the number of wins for any musical in Olivier Award history. The wins included Best New Musical, Best Director, Best Set Design, and Best Costume Design. James Hameed and Arti Shah shared the Best Actor in a Musical award; Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical went to Victoria Hamilton-Barritt; and Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical went to Tom Edden.

The musical’s synopsis: “A small, lost bear from Peru arrives in London in search of a place to call home. A chance encounter 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 seemingly happiest of families can have cracks beneath the surface. So, when a mysterious and vengeful villain sets her sights on Paddington, the Browns embark on a thrilling rescue mission, realizing they need this special bear as much as he needs them.”

Bond’s A Bear Called Paddington was published in 1958, the first of 29 Paddington books he wrote, with the final one Paddington at St. Paul’s published posthumously in 2018. The books have sold over 35 million copies worldwide.

Paddington has been adapted for television several times , first by the BBC in 1976 and most recently by Studiocanal, which developed and produced three series of The Adventures of Paddington with Heyday Films, Simon Quinn and Karen Davidson. Paddington has also been adapted as three big-screen outings developed and produced by Studiocanal with Heyday films and distributed by Studiocanal worldwide. A fourth feature film is in development with Armando Iannucci attached to the write the script with his co-writer Simon Blackwell. Also in development is a new animated Paddington feature film.