The beloved children’s book character has been a smash on London’s West End.

*Paddington the Musical *is officially coming to Broadway — here’s when

The beloved children's book character has been a smash on London's West End.

By Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American *Journalism Review* and *The Shreveport Times*.

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June 16, 2026 8:30 a.m. ET

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'Paddington the Musical' stars the beloved children's literary and film character. Credit:

- *Paddington the Musical*, the stage adaptation of Michael Bond's children's book character, has been a smashing success on London's West End.

- The show is now headed Stateside, one of several Paddington projects in the works.

- A teaser trailer shows the beloved British bear tipping his hat to the Statue of Liberty.

Paddington Bear is bringing his brown suitcase to Broadway.

A stage show featuring the pint-sized character, who's delighted book lovers and moviegoers alike for years, has been a big hit in London, winning seven Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical. Producers announced Monday that it will begin performances March 30, before officially opening April 18 at Al Hirschfeld Theatre in New York City.

A short video offers a peek at the classic character arriving Stateside while eating one of the marmalade sandwiches he loves. The well-mannered Paddington, of course, tips his signature hat to the Statue of Liberty.

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The British bear first appeared in the book *A Bear Called Paddington*, by Michael Bond, in 1958. More books followed over the decades. The character has been featured in several movies, too, including *Paddington* in 2014, *Paddington 2 *in 2017, and *Paddington in Peru* in 2024. In all those cases, Paddington was voiced by Ben Whishaw.

The London version of the stage show tied the record for the most wins of any musical in the history of the Olivier Awards, which is the British version of the Tonys.

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The show's book writer, Jessica Swale, said in a statement, "I couldn't be more excited to bring Paddington to New York. 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."

Luke Sheppard, the musical's director, said that "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."

Paddington in 'Paddington in Peru' in 2024.

There's even more Paddington on the way. As * *reported in April, StudioCanal CEO Anna Marsh said at CinemaCon that "world-renowned comedy writers," whom she did not name, are working on a fourth movie in the franchise.

She also said that, separately, there would be an "animated feature expanding the franchise."

Tickets for *Paddington the Musical* are on sale now.

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Source: “EW Broadway”