Mesmerising Marmalade Madness: A Taxi Driver’s Code Worthy Overview of Paddington: The Musical

Paddington has become a name as synonymous with London culture as the London Eye or Big Ben, so on hearing that the character was due to make his West-End debut in November 2025, I, alongside many others, was incredibly excited. The project has reportedly been in the works for close to a decade, so to say the show was highly anticipated would be nothing short of an understatement.  

Mixing the spirit of the original Michael Bond books with the plot of the 2014 film, Paddington: The Musical combines the music and lyrics of Tom Fletcher (of McFly fame) with a script by Jessica Swale to craft a whole new adventure for everyone’s favourite Darkest Peruvian. The result? A heartfelt, tear-jerking triumph that appeals to every kind of theatregoer, and one that is sure to be on the West-End for years, if not decades, to come. 

I should also clarify that I attended an early preview of the musical, and the show is still in previews as of writing this article. Therefore, the version of the Paddington: the Musical that I saw may differ in comparison to the final product when it begins official performances in the future. As far as a preview performance goes, I found it to be practically flawless, but I believe it is still an important factor to consider. Also – be warned, light spoilers are present! 

From selling marmalade sandwiches to pawprints guiding your way to the doors, charm oozed from every corner of the theatre, and that reinvigorated a sense of childlike wonder that only grew as the show began

Paddington, somewhat ironically, has been welcomed into the Savoy Theatre in London with open arms. The show’s branding flourishes both the inside and outside of the theatre, and a small Paddington-themed gift shop, decorated with sheet music from the show, has been opened for the general public. The inside of the theatre even has a board showing live departures from Paddington station, which is a wonderful touch. From selling marmalade sandwiches to pawprints guiding your way to the doors, charm oozed from every corner of the theatre, and that reinvigorated a sense of childlike wonder that only grew as the show began. 

I did initially think the Savoy to be a strange venue of choice for Paddington, and on entering the foyer to look around, I felt proven somewhat correct. The Savoy is small, and in a show that attracts people of all ages, this makes the wait for the auditorium doors to open feel particularly cramped. People squeezing past each other just in an attempt to go to the merchandise stand is never ideal, but once doors did finally open I got to appreciate the wonderful pre-set, complete with landscapes of the starry London sky and even a few taxidermies. By pure chance however, the wait did give me the opportunity to have a brief talk with the parents of Victoria Hamilton-Barritt, who plays Millicent Clyde in the show. I later also discovered composer Tom Fletcher to be in the audience – one of the many bonuses of attending an early preview!  

The show opens in Mr Gruber’s shop of curiosities, where he, played wonderfully by Teddy Kempner, uses projection effects to overview Paddington’s origins with Aunt Lucy leading up to his arrival at the train station. Disappointingly, we never actually see Aunt Lucy directly in the show, but the stylistic choice to convey her through various technical effects is extremely effective in presenting her as, quite literally, Paddington’s light in the darkness.  

Gruber acts as a narrator of the show’s events, appearing a few times throughout the show alongside James Hameed as a ‘Young Man’. The deliberate choice to have the show centred around Hameed’s character of ‘Young Man’ being told Paddington’s story, only for Hameed to then voice Paddington himself, is nothing short of genius storytelling, and there are even moments where Hameed sings as Paddington while he is physically onstage. One particular moment stood out towards the end of the show where Paddington sings without Hameed opening his mouth, keeping you guessing about whether Paddington was really with us all along… 

the images and videos of Paddington online do not do nearly enough justice to just how real he looks in person

Aside from the obvious secrecy surrounding how Paddington was actually going to work onstage, making the initial reveal all the more impactful, there is simply no other way to sugarcoat the following statement: the images and videos of Paddington online do not do nearly enough justice to just how real he looks in person. You are left with a suspension of belief for the first song or so, but as soon as we enter the Brown’s house, I found myself smiling from ear to ear out of sheer amazement as to just how incredible it is. Arti Shah and James Hameed, alongside the team that designed Paddington, have done nothing short of a perfect job, and it makes the entire spectacle feel utterly magical. 

Looking further at some of the characters, I found the casting once again to be faultless. The Brown family dynamic has been specifically designed to be relatable to actual real-life families who will come and see the show together. Adrian Der Gregorian and Amy Ellen Richardson play Mr and Mrs Brown in a way not unlike many parents going through the trials of everyday family life and their marriage; Delilah Bennet-Cardy as Judy has a full teenage romance sub-plot as she tries to find her place in the world; and Simon Hare (one of four different actors in this role) plays an adorably sweet Johnathan. Bonnie Langford as Mrs Bird even appeals to those older grandparents who have a personal story for every situation in life! 

Millicent Clyde, who as I already mentioned, is played to perfection by Hamilton-Barritt, and her lackey Grant, played by Tarinn Callender make incredibly entertaining villains. To say Hamilton-Barritt was born to play this role is underselling it

I would also like to highlight Tom Edden’s portrayal of Mr Curry in the show, who I found to be an unexpected scene-stealer whenever he was onstage. His ridiculously over the top condescension and slapstick scenes with every character (and even a fourth wall break) made him a true delight to watch. Millicent Clyde, who as I already mentioned, is played to perfection by Hamilton-Barritt, and her lackey Grant, played by Tarinn Callender make incredibly entertaining villains. To say Hamilton-Barritt was born to play this role is underselling it. Her performance is electric, and at times, shockingly scary for a family-friendly Paddington musical. The final moments of the first act for me were underscored by the very real noise of a child crying audibly, which honestly is the perfect illustration of just how in less than an hour, you have already fallen deeply in love with these characters, a testament to how incredibly they are written, directed and played. 

As mentioned, the plot follows that of the 2014 film mostly to the letter, with one key change being how more of a focus has been placed on Paddington’s relationship with Mrs Brown over Mr Brown, or rather, the interactions have been weighted more evenly. While that does mean we miss out on some development and scenes with Mr Brown later on in the show, I can understand why from a plot perspective we would want Paddington to develop his connections with the Brown family equally and it made no drastic change to either character’s story overall. 

Having a Paddington solo song in ‘The Explorer and the Bear’ does slightly emphasise the technical limitations of how fast the animatronic mouth can move, but the raw emotion of the moment at this point in the story means that your eyes are so full of tears only those specifically looking for the slightest of inconsistencies will notice it

Looking at the song selection, Fletcher has created an incredible track list that beats Disney at their own game when it comes to creating grand-scale family musical orchestrations. Head-bopping group numbers like ‘The Rhythm of London’, spearheaded by a fantastic ensemble, alongside Windsor Gardens residents Tony and Tanya portrayed wonderfully by Timi Akinyosade and Brenda Ewards respectively, are only the start. From a wonderfully comic number about using Paddington’s infamous ‘Hard Stare’ to one of the greatest villain numbers of all time in ‘Pretty Little Dead Things’ and even an extremely catchy song all about ‘Marmalade’, it truly is just hit after hit. And to all those Bonnie Langford fans out there, don’t worry, she manages to work in her staple splits in Act 2 song ‘It’s Never Too Late’. 

Having a Paddington solo song in ‘The Explorer and the Bear’ does slightly emphasise the technical limitations of how fast the animatronic mouth can move, but the raw emotion of the moment at this point in the story means that your eyes are so full of tears only those specifically looking for the slightest of inconsistencies will notice it. My only other slight complaint is that I feel Mrs Brown’s solo ‘One Page At A Time’ lacks the typical energy often felt in an ‘I want’ song, but it still compliments her journey in the show quite well. The Geographers Guild song does feel slightly out of place in what is a quite dramatic second act, however Amy-Booth-Steel’s iconic portrayal of Guild President Lady Sloane does provide some much-needed comic relief to cut through the tension building to the climax.  

The show appeals to quite literally everyone, from tourists to residents, young and old, you will leave Paddington with your heart full, which is why I believe the inevitable five-star reviews will only help it be a titan of the West End for a long time yet

Overall, the show Paddington: The Musical, while not perfect (as no show is), is an absolute delight to watch from start to finish, and there was not a single moment where my eyes were not glued to the stage out of pure wonder at what I was seeing. While Paddington himself is of course a highlight, the stellar song list combined with some of the best performances on the West End right now easily explain why it has become such a hot ticket. The show appeals to quite literally everyone, from tourists to residents, young and old, you will leave Paddington with your heart full, which is why I believe the inevitable five-star reviews will only help it be a titan of the West End for a long time yet. 

The show’s core message of an immigrant finding a home in London has also become a searingly relevant and poignant reminder as of late of the inherent value of kindness, as the cast remind you directly in the final moments of the show. Paddington is a reminder to us all that if you try your best, you can never truly fail, and as long as you have your family by your side, be that found family or otherwise, nothing is really impossible. So if you’ve got fur or you’ve got skin, feel the beat and you can join right in. That’s when your new life here will begin, that’s the Rhythm of London… 

Now. If you excuse me, I’m going to be singing Mar-Mar-Mar-Mar-Mar-Marmalade to myself until the cast album releases next March. Go see the show. It’s incredible.