Paddington: The Musical Review – They took great care of this bear | Musicals

HHere’s the Peruvian Bear as we’ve never seen him before — or so we’re led to believe by the marketing for this musical, based on the beloved 2014 film and based on Michael Bond’s beloved books. But this is actually what we’ve seen before: first alone at Paddington Station with marmalade sandwiches under his felt hat and a pleading look in his eyes for strangers to be kind to strangers like him.

This isn’t new fare, even if Paddington has been brought to life with the latest animation techniques: James Hamid is his voice and remote puppeteer, while Artie Shah is under his furry skin on stage (puppet design by Tahira Zafar). The Browns are recognizable from the film’s star-studded cast: the risk-averse father (Adrian Der Gregorian), the arty mother (Amy Ellen Richardson), teenage Judy (Delilah Bennett Cardy), the encyclopedia-reading young Jonathan (Jasper Rouse in Night Out), plus houseguest Mrs. Bird (Bonnie Langford, in national treasure mode).

So why do we need this Paddington in our lives?

Well, simply because it comes together so well. Wonderfully so, actually. This is the new Mary Poppins: a famous story imaginatively acted out, done right and utterly won over.

Tom Fletcher’s songs are great, Jessica Swale’s book is serious, and Ellen Keane’s choreography is strong. It’s directed by Luke Sheppard, is really quite beautiful in its design (by Tom Pye), starting with Mr. Gruber’s shop of curiosities and features sweeping immersive effects (with next-level projections designed by Ash J Woodward). There are confetti, Lost Bear flyer drops, and sudden jets of water shot into the audience.

The family experiences its tensions, though not enough to dampen our spirits, while Paddington the puppet is adorable: alternately pensive and childish. Hameed’s singing voice is stunning, and when he wanders through some of the solo songs like a human shadow, he’s uncannily moving. There’s a great group song and dance, polished to the point of brilliance, with nods to musical theater across the board, from the vaudevillian slapstick to the chorus numbers (The Hard Stare is great fun) and the big show tunes (Marmalade is an absolute blast).

But it’s Victoria Hamilton-Barrett who steals the show as Paddington’s nemesis, taxidermist Millicent Clyde. Her song Pretty Little Dead Things is the best ever. Add to that Hamilton-Barrett’s exceptional vocals, her rousing comedic performance, and a shoulder-padded foxtail look reminiscent of a wartime Marlene Dietrich, and you’ve got a magnetic villain with serious paternal issues.

Sure, it’s full of schmaltz and English clichés—beef eaters, church bells, men with umbrellas, and dustbin men who look like Dick Van Dyke’s chimney sweeps. But it’s done self-consciously and verges on parody – members of the Geographers’ Guild marching off to talk about the Empire and the Elgin Marbles, for example.

The plot follows the events of the film without being parasitic, with some added threads and characters, such as Judy’s friend Tony (Timi Akinyosade) and his British Caribbean mother (Brenda Edwards), who bring a very smiley multiculturalism but also some great calypso tones to songs like The Rhythm of London.

Some characters feel derivative, like Mr. Curry (Tom Eden), the rope-wearing taxi driver who here channels Alan Carr with a touch of extremism. Messages about the importance of kindness and acceptance are laid out with the trowel. It is clear that Paddington is the one ignoring the foreigner. Thoughts on making a better shelter work in subtle reference to Mr. Gruber’s Kindertransport journey. It resonates importantly with today’s anti-immigrant fear and hate landscape.

And the production is clearly not driven by satire to capitalize on a very British brand – although it is likely to attract tourists in their hordes. The last few scenes feel strange and are a bit long, but you’d have to be ironic yourself to find fault with this wonderful world of downward adventure.