Paddington musical: McFly’s Tom Fletcher unearths main points of recent degree display

McFly celebrity Tom Fletcher has stated he felt “overwhelming excitement” operating at the new Paddington degree musical, which manufacturers have showed will open in November.

The singer-songwriter stated he was hoping the song and lyrics he has written for the display would “do Paddington proud”, including that the musical numbers are “my favourite songs I’ve ever written”.

The display will open on the Savoy Theatre within the West End on 1 November, and practice Paddington as he arrives from Peru looking for a brand new house in London.

The musical, which has been in building for 5 years, is in line with Michael Bond’s unique novels and follows the vastly a hit fresh movie collection.

Speaking concerning the display for the primary time, Fletcher informed BBC News he felt “so honoured and lucky” to be operating at the venture, which he stated would replicate “all of the fun, warmth and heart that the books and movies have captured so brilliantly”.

“There is something so magical about seeing Paddington step out on to the stage, and seeing him… I was about to say in the flesh, but I guess in the fur is more accurate,” he joked.

Fletcher is best-known because the founding member of father band McFly, whose hits come with All About You, Obviously and Star Girl, and could also be a a hit kids’s writer.

He was once first approached about Paddington across the time of the primary Covid lockdown in early 2020, and workshopped the venture with scriptwriter Jessica Swale, director Luke Sheppard and the manufacturers earlier than the display was once officially introduced in 2023.

With the musical now virtually in a position to release, Swale informed BBC News it could characteristic “lots of juicy new material”.

“We’re bringing a lot of new flavours to the table, but of course we’re all in love with the original material, so we’ve been faithful to our cast of characters,” she stated.

“Of course the Browns are part of it, and familiar faces like Mr Gruber and Mr Curry, but there are a lot of new people as well. We’ve been very inspired by the books and the films but we like to think we’re covering new territory.”

Bond’s first guide within the collection, A Bear Called Paddington, was once revealed in 1958.

The writer went on to write down 29 Paddington books in general, the general one being Paddington at St Paul’s, which was once revealed posthumously in 2018. The tales have bought greater than 35 million copies international.

Fletcher stated he relished the chance to search out what “the musical language” of Paddington was once. “Having something that everybody knows but no-one’s heard what it sounds like yet is a really exciting thing to be able to work on,” he defined.

He recalled that, when manufacturer Eliza Lumley first referred to as him concerning the venture, he no longer handiest in an instant answered with “a very fast ‘yes please'”, however started writing song for the display immediately.

“While I was still on the phone to her, I had the idea for a song, so I went and wrote my first song for it that night, instantly after getting off the phone, and that song is still in the musical now.”

He mirrored: “My instant reaction wasn’t to be intimidated, it was to be excited and just so inspired by these stories and films that I already knew, I just jumped straight at my piano and started writing.”

The 3 movie diversifications of Paddington, that includes the voice of Ben Whishaw, were an enormous luck on the field place of job for the reason that first was once launched in 2014.

In fresh years, London has noticed pop workforce Abba represented by means of digital avatars on degree, whilst some animated movie characters were depicted the use of extra conventional puppeteering strategies, akin to snowman Olaf within the degree adaptation of Frozen.

It has no longer but been published what method manufacturers will take to representing Paddington within the theatre.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, he’s a bear!” joked Swale. “He’s travelling from Peru to be a special part of our show!”

She persisted: “I can’t give away our secrets. One of the things I’m most excited about for this show is the character of Paddington.”

Swale credit manufacturers Lumley and Sonia Friedman for “really experimenting with every possible way that we could tell the bear’s story in the best way, and the magic that they’ve found in how they do it”, adding: “Every single time I see Paddington for the first time, it makes me cry.

“I believe he is totally magic, and to me he is very actual. But I do not believe audiences will probably be disenchanted. It’s a lovely, theatrical model of the way to inform this tale.”

As for the character himself, Swale noted the musical “additionally unearths the spirit and the politics of Paddington”.

“For instance, Paddington is a refugee, so we wish to honour the truth that he’s any individual who migrates to the United Kingdom and does not have a house, and ensure we’re aware of the revel in of who he represents.”