Paddington musical names Broadway cast ahead of March 2027 debut
James Hameed and Arti Shah will reprise their shared portrayal of Paddington, joining a cast that includes Jessie Mueller and Tony Hale.
The Broadway production of Paddington: The Musical has announced its principal cast, with performances scheduled to begin March 30, 2027, at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. Its official opening is set for April 18, 2027.
James Hameed and Arti Shah will return from the London production to bring the title character to the stage. Shah performs inside the bear suit, while Hameed supplies Paddington’s voice and operates remote puppetry. The pair jointly received the Olivier award for Best Actor in a Musical for their performances.
Jessie Mueller, a Tony Award winner known for Beautiful and Waitress, has been cast as Mrs. Brown. Drew Gehling, who appeared alongside her in Waitress, takes the role of Mr. Brown. Emmy winner Tony Hale will portray Mr. Curry, while Tony winner Karen Ziemba plays Mrs. Bird.
Other cast members include Chip Zien as Mr. Gruber and Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer as Millicent Clyde. Kelvin Dukes will portray Tony, J. Quinton Johnson takes the part of Grant, Zonya Love plays Tanya, and Serena Parrish appears as Judy Brown.
The musical follows a bear who travels from Peru to London seeking a home and meets the Brown family. When a villain targets Paddington, the Browns attempt to rescue him. The London production earned seven Olivier Awards, among them Best New Musical.
