The musical which has been written by Jessica Swale with music and lyrics by McFly’s Tom Fletcher, features cast members including Amy Ellen Richardson as Mrs Brown, Adrian Der Gregorian as Mr Brown, and Doctor Who star Bonnie Langford as Mrs Bird.
It follows Paddington from Peru as he is taken in by the Brown family after a chance meeting at a London railway station.
But theatre enthusiasts might be wondering if Paddington is played by a real person on stage and how the character is able to perform so life-like – let’s find out.
Who plays Paddington in the musical?
Although Paddington is voiced by Ben Whishaw in the films, he is played by performers James Hameed (Paddington off-stage performer and remote puppeteer) and Arti Shah (Paddington on-stage performer) in the new West End musical.
Speaking to What’s On Stage, Arti shared about her latest fascinating role: “This is the first time I’m here [in a West End musical], and I can’t believe it.
“It is very different to film but there are elements that I’ve taken on board from my past experiences, certain projects, where I’ve worked with other actors, for example motion capture doubling Maz Kanata [Star Wars: The Force Awakens].
“A lot I learnt from there I’ve brought on here [as Paddington] because there’s certain movements with certain dialogue, things like that that are very important and again, the challenges which are different, but that’s what makes you grow.”
Arti also revealed how she prepared herself to wear the fluffy costume of Paddington on stage for long hours.
She explained: “I take my job very seriously, I went and sat inside a sauna fully clothed before rehearsals to train my body like ‘yeah this is fine’.”
James continued: “We are constantly adding different elements to the remote puppetry. We got a new toy yesterday and that was wild but also exciting.
“I don’t think there’s a role like this and that in itself is amazing.
“When I was studying at drama school I didn’t think I would be doing this. But it’s its own amazing, phenomenal thing that I get to do, and I get to do it eight times a week and that’s wonderful.”
Will you be going to watch Paddington The Musical over the next year? (Image: Isha Shah/PA Wire)
Meanwhile, Abbie Purvis and Ali Sarebani are the alternate Paddington on-stage performers and the team responsible for the bear includes Tahra Zafar (Paddington bear designer), Audrey Brisson (Bear physicality associate director), Phill Woodfine (remote puppetry coach), and Annabelle Davis (Paddington bear casting director).
How long will Paddington The Musical be on for?
Paddington The Musical, which began previews at London’s Savoy Theatre over the weekend is now booking until October 25, 2026.
Producers Sonia Friedman and Eliza Lumley said: “After many years of exploration and development, we are thrilled, alongside StudioCanal, to finally bring Paddington to life on stage.
“What we as producers always hoped to achieve was, quite simply, Paddington on stage — and thanks to the immensely talented artists, both on and off stage, we believe we’ve realised that.”
Recommended reading:
The production has been adapted from the books by Michael Bond and hit films.
Paddington, first published on October 13, 1958, has seen a number of adaptations over the years, including a BBC TV version in 1976, voiced by the late Sir Michael Hordern.
More recently there were movies released in 2014, 2017 and 2024, which all performed well at the box office.
