When Paddington speaks on Broadway next spring, the voice will come from James Hameed. The bear the audience can see will be Arti Shah. The two performers, who shared an Olivier Award for playing the same character in London, will both make their Broadway debuts in Paddington The Musical. The producers named the principal cast Monday, with Jessie Mueller and Drew Gehling as Mrs. and Mr. Brown and Tony Hale as Mr. Curry.
Performances begin March 30, 2027, at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. Opening night is April 18. Hameed and Shah are carrying over the arrangement developed for the West End production, in which one actor moves through the set in a bear suit and the other controls the bear's facial expressions remotely while supplying his speaking and singing voice.
How two actors play one bear
Hameed has a second credit in the Broadway cast list, as the Young Man. In a Variety interview about the London production, he explained that the Young Man appears as a character in his own right before Paddington takes over the story with his voice. That gives audiences a chance to see Hameed onstage before hearing him as the bear.
The production tried separating the voice, physical performance and remote puppetry among three people. Hameed told Variety that the team found a slight delay when they tested that arrangement. He took on the remote controls himself, working with puppetry coach Phill Woodfine. The actor delivering the line could then move Paddington's mouth as he said it. Shah supplies the movement audiences see from the neck down, working inside a padded costume that shapes the way she stands and limits what she can see.
There was a storytelling reason to keep the people operating the bear out of sight. Designer Tahra Zafar told The New Yorker that the team wanted Paddington to be able to stand alone onstage. That's especially relevant to his arrival in London, before the Browns find him. The design had to make room for a character who could look small and lost on a station platform and also sing. Zafar described using details from both animals and toys, including paws with pads and a sewn nose.
The shared acting award was one of seven Oliviers for the London production. The show also won best new musical, and Luke Sheppard won for directing it. Sheppard directs the Broadway production, which has a book by Jessica Swale and music and lyrics by Tom Fletcher. The story draws on Michael Bond's books and the 2014 film. It begins with a bear from Peru looking for a home in London and follows him into the Brown household, where a welcome from one member of the family doesn't guarantee an easy reception from everyone else.
Who joins the Browns on Broadway
Mueller won a Tony for playing Carole King in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. She and Gehling both appeared in the original Broadway cast of Waitress, where she played Jenna and he played Dr. Pomatter. Here they play the couple whose family takes in Paddington. Serena Parrish plays their daughter Judy, and Karen Ziemba plays Mrs. Bird. Hale, known for Veep, plays the Browns' neighbor Mr. Curry.
The announcement also names Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer as Millicent Clyde and Chip Zien as Mr. Gruber. Kelvin Dukes plays Tony, Allison Guinn plays Lady Sloane, J. Quinton Johnson plays Grant and Zonya Love plays Tanya. The producers say the complete cast will follow.
Dates, tickets and access in New York
The Al Hirschfeld Theatre is at 302 West 45th Street in Manhattan. The producers list a starting price of $69, and the Broadway box office sells seats by date. The March 30 start is for previews. Buyers who want to see an early performance can book before the April 18 opening, while anyone arranging a trip around a specific performance can check the seat price on that date.
The Broadway production's FAQ lists a running time of about two hours and 45 minutes with one intermission. It recommends the show for ages six and up. Children under three cannot attend, guests 16 and younger must sit with an accompanying adult, and everyone needs a ticket. For families choosing between an evening and a matinee, the box office shows curtain times on the individual performance listings.
The show’s FAQ lists nine tickets as the maximum per online transaction and directs groups of ten or more to its group sales partner. The box office says e-tickets are sent at least 48 hours before the performance. The theater lists the 42nd Street-Port Authority Bus Terminal station, served by the A, C and E trains, as the closest subway stop.
The orchestra has step-free access and contains the wheelchair and companion seating. The theater's access page breaks down access by seating level, which is worth checking before selecting seats upstairs. The production says it is planning captioned, audio-described, ASL-interpreted and relaxed performances. Its Broadway FAQ directs guests who need accessible seats to book through the theater online, by phone or at the box office.
