Few characters in pop culture exemplify goodness like Paddington Bear. The Peruvian bear has captured the hearts of children and adults alike in his books, television series, and, most recently, his beloved live-action films starring Ben Whishaw. Now, the British icon has returned to the theater for the first time in 40 years with Paddington: The Musical, and I’m so obsessed with how the show brings the anthropomorphic bear onto the stage.
The London production began this weekend, with its first show debuting in the West End on November 1. You can recreate the sets, cast brilliant actors as the human characters, and have excellent songs to bring it all together, but the entire show would have fallen apart if they couldn’t bring Paddington himself convincingly to life on stage. Instead of merely using a puppet, Paddington: The Musical utilizes a combination of animatronics, an on-stage actor, and an off-stage voice to bring the character to the show, and the results are so impressive that it’s almost uncanny.
The actor you’ll see in costume on stage is Arti Shah, a little person who dons the full-body Paddington suit. While she’s interacting with the other actors, James Hameed stands off-stage and recites Paddington’s spoken lines. The costume is also fitted with animatronics so the little guy can move his mouth, blink, and be expressive on stage, which Hameed controls to match his line delivery. It’s a multi-person job, but it’s hard to argue with the results. Fans who have seen the show live are smitten with Paddington, and those of us unlucky enough not to be in London are desperate for the show to come stateside. I’ve only seen a handful of Broadway shows since moving to NYC, but I will be there for Paddington: The Musical if it comes over.
For now, Paddington: The Musical is only in London, so if you’re looking for a dose of marmalade-flavored feel-good joy and don’t live there, you can still boot up the excellent live-action movies on your movie streaming service of choice.
