When the first images of Paddington The Musical were released a few weeks ago, the mere sight of the little Peruvian bear in his new stage form was enough to bring half the country to tears. Well, the show is currently in previews and - without giving anything away at this early stage - already the Savoy Theatre is encountering a tsunami-level of eye water, and that’s just from this one correspondent. Word will soon be out, but between us, this show is pure magic, the height of theatrical entertainment and it may even change your life.
It certainly seems to be changing the life of Victoria Hamilton-Barritt, who plays the villain Millicent Clyde, and says, “We were aware that there was going to be a reaction when the bear was first revealed, but when you actually see it live... We've done so many workshop presentations to a room no bigger than say 50 people. You hear the response from 50 people seeing the bear for the first time. And then you put in the Savoy Theatre, and you hear those gasps and how people emote in that very moment.. we are there in the wings listening to that, trying to keep it together.
