Michael Bond’s beloved bear is the star of an eagerly anticipated new show at the Savoy theatre in London. Here is what the critics thought
Paddington is brought to life with state-of-the-art animatronics: James Hameed is his voice and remote puppeteer, while Arti Shah is under his furry skin on stage (puppet design by Tahra Zafar). The Brown family are recognisable from the star-studded film: risk-averse dad (Adrian Der Gregorian), arty mum (Amy Ellen Richardson), adolescent Judy (Delilah Bennett-Cardy) and encyclopaedia-chomping wee Jonathan (Jasper Rowse on the night of attendance), along with houseguest Mrs Bird (Bonnie Langford, in national treasure mode) … This is the new Mary Poppins: a well-known story imaginatively staged, immaculately performed and utterly winning.
Arifa Akbar, the Guardian
The plot and general mood here are both loosely based on the first Paddington film, with director Luke Sheppard and set designer Tom Pye creating a warm, multicultural, and gorgeously maximalist evocation of bohemian London. The famous bear crash-lands in an inhospitable city, then finds a home with the kindly Brown family. In the glorious set-piece song Don’t Touch That, his butter-pawed curiosity nearly destroys the fabric of their home: shelves tilt, white goods explode, and soap bubbles and jets of water burst through the ceiling.
