Paddington at the Al Hirschfeld — Page 4
Posted: 4/21/26 at 11:56pm
I loved Paddington and I loved this cast. But I doubt we’ll see many of the cast transfer, outside of Hameed and Shah.
Posted: 4/22/26 at 1:25am
And I hope they receive a special Tony instead of the ludicrous category placement that the Oliviers did.
Posted: 4/22/26 at 3:08am
inlovewithjerryherman said: "I loved Paddington and I loved this cast. But I doubt we’ll see many of the cast transfer, outside of Hameed and Shah."
Why on earth would they transfer? Finding a sweet-voiced tenor who can do the accent shouldn't be too hard, and denying American performers who could play Paddington the opportunity would be a terrible PR move IMO. If anyone transfers, it'll be Edden (Tony nominee and an expert at what he does) and Adrian der Gregorian because he's married to the producer.
Posted: 4/22/26 at 11:19am
I don't think there's a single person in the West End cast whose name could measurably move tickets on Broadway.
Posted: 4/22/26 at 12:52pm
No name matters for a show like this. Matilda didn't have any names in it that mattered. Have said it before and will say it again, Sonia Friedman holds great affection for her casts and more often than not brings leads over when they transfer. I'd say there's close to zero chance she doesn't bring over Hameed and Shah at the very least and would be very surprised if most if not all of the principal cast doesn't come over with it too. The kids may outgrow the roles, however.
Posted: 4/22/26 at 1:08pm
Well, Sonia Friedman most likely holds affection for her husband, even if frankly no-one cares who plays Mr Brown... where have you got the idea that she transfers casts from, though? Oedipus's leads played Broadway but otherwise the cast was pretty different, and Kenrex is entirely built around its star, the Merrily revival was not only ten years after its London run but with an understandably totally different cast... I'm really struggling to think of examples of this, even going back a decade or so.
Posted: 4/22/26 at 6:24pm
Some of Harry Potter
The Woman in White
Posted: 4/23/26 at 11:23am
Timon3 said: "Some of Harry Potter
The Woman in White"
Did SFP produce Woman in White on Broadway? I thought that would be have been a Really Useful Group joint, but more fool me. Given that the production starred her sister and two American actresses from back in the days when the Equity exchange system still operated, that was canny (Michael Ball wasn't the original Fosco, of course).
Potter is a better example, I think, and fair enough.
Posted: 4/23/26 at 8:10pm
Yeap she was one of the many producers. The production got a rave from the late Clive Barnes. Sonia’s sister Maria got raves across the board including from Ben Brantley in the NYT, although he did call the show ‘pallid’.
Posted: 4/23/26 at 11:50pm
Maria is married to Adrian Der Gregorian, not Sonia.
Posted: 4/24/26 at 10:54am
Seems like this is happening?
This just posted on the Playbill jobs site.
Breakdown
UNTITLED MUSICAL
SEEKING:
Onstage Performer: (Any Gender, Legal 18+) 4ft and under
Young Man: (Male, 20s-early 30s) – Strong singer
Mother: (Female, early-mid 40s) – Strong singer
Father: (Male, early-mid 40s) – Strong singer
Villain: (Female, 30s-40s) – Strong singer
Character Man: (Male, 30s-40s) – Strong singer
Character Woman 1: (Female, 50s-60s) – Strong singer
Older Man: (Male, 60s-70s) – Strong singer
Villain Assistant: (Male, 20s) – Strong singer
Aunt: (Female, 30s-40s) – Strong singer
Son 1: (Male, 18+ to play 15-16 years old) – Strong singer
Daughter: (Female, 18+ to play 15-16 years old) – Strong singer
Son 2: (Male, 9-12 years old) – Strong singer
Character Woman 2: (Female, 30s-40s) – Strong singer
Posted: 4/24/26 at 1:01pm
Yeah. I am not sure it really tells us anything new except a hopeful “2027” and the name of the casting office and GM that have been signed on the show.
Posted: 4/24/26 at 2:22pm
If they’re looking for a music director / conductor, I feel like there’s already a chair with Haley Bennett’s name on it.
She’s seen the show already, has a solid feel for the score, and a good friend of hers is on the UK team.
Posted: 5/19/26 at 2:05pm
Jennifer Simard for Millicent Clyde
Posted: 5/19/26 at 2:11pm
Robbie2 said: "Jennifer Simard for Millicent Clyde"
Yes! But I’d also like Victoria Hamilton-Barritt to transfer!
Posted: 5/19/26 at 2:18pm
steven22 said: "Robbie2 said: "Jennifer Simard for Millicent Clyde"
Yes! But I’d also like Victoria Hamilton-Barritt to transfer!"
Victoria has young children so odds of her uprooting their life to come to America for a year are small, I’d imagine.
Posted: 5/19/26 at 2:35pm
Wonder if they would try to cast some “names” in this or if that would drive the already high cost up further?
Posted: 5/19/26 at 5:28pm
steven22 said: "Robbie2 said: "Jennifer Simard for Millicent Clyde"
Yes! But I’d also like Victoria Hamilton-Barritt to transfer!"
She was phenomenal. Too bad she can't transfer.
Posted: 5/19/26 at 5:51pm
JMH27 said: "Wonder if they would try to cast some “names” in this or if that would drive the already high cost up further?"
they already have all the "name" they need: Paddington
Posted: 5/19/26 at 6:19pm
whatever2 said: "JMH27 said: "Wonder if they would try to cast some “names” in this or if that would drive the already high cost up further?"
they already have all the "name" they need: Paddington"
And that's the problem with the show. The Bear, and his story, stops the show cold everytime he shows up. Why couldn't they create a PADDINGTON show where they assume we already know the back story and just come up with a new angle, like the movies do.
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