Principal cast announced for 'Paddington The Musical' on Broadway
The principal cast of Broadway's upcoming production of "Paddington: The Musical" has been announced.
Arti Shah, who starred as the titular Paddington, and James Hameed, who played Young Man and the voice of Paddington, in the original West End production at the Savoy Theatre in London, are reprising their roles in the Broadway musical, which tells the story of a lost bear from Peru who is looking for a home in London and finds himself with the Brown family.
Shah and Hameed will be joined by Drew Gehling as Mr. Brown, Jessie Mueller as Mrs. Brown, and Serena Parrish as Judy Brown.
The cast also includes Kelvin Dukes as Tony, Allison Guinn as Lady Sloane, Emmy winner Tony Hale as Mr. Curry, J. Quinton Johnson as Grant, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer as Millicent Clyde, Zonya Love as Tanya, Karen Ziemba as Mrs. Bird and Chip Zien as Mr. Gruber.
Producers Sonia Friedman and Eliza Lumley called the new Broadway cast a "dream company" in a statement.
"These are some of the most talented performers working today, all choosing to spend their time and considerable gifts on this funny, joyful and deeply life-affirming new musical. We couldn't feel luckier," Friedman and Lumley said in part.
The West End version of the highly anticipated two-act musical won seven Olivier Awards -- the U.K. version of the Tony Awards -- this past spring, including the Olivier for best new musical and best actor in a musical for Hameed and Shah, and became the "most award-winning new musical in West End history," according to a news release.
The musical is based on the beloved cartoon bear from English author Michael Bond, and the new story is based on the "Paddington" films, with original music and lyrics by Tom Fletcher.
"Paddington: The Musical" will play next spring at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre in New York City, with performances scheduled to start Tuesday, March 30, 2027 and the official open set for Sunday, April 18, 2027.
Tickets for the new Broadway musical begin at $69 and are available for sale.
