Don’t waste your money on Paddington! [Spoiler Free]

This is going to be controversial but man. Don’t waste your money!!

For some context i’m a 21 year old theater maker who’s worked off-west end. This show was not made for me, it was made for tourists with families. I’m using a burner account so I don’t get heat for this.

The GOOD:

The bear is FANTASTIC. The puppet work in this show works really well and I only wish there was more. The way they introduce the voice of Paddington is not the girl in the costume is really good direction.

The light design is incredible. Some of the tightest and best i’ve seen. Likewise the spotlight operators are extremely tight and on their game.

Some of the actors and songs did catch me, mainly the Neighborhood watch guy. Everyone who is not a main character was great!

The BUNS:

You need to watch the movie. The plot is confusing and unclear. They keep giving songs to the wrong people. The Geograpgers Guild does not need a song before the family has one.

Many Many Many plot points feel confusing and random. The mom and daughter conflict was forgotten about until it was relevant. The father and son gripe until they forget it’s a plot point. The daughter and the neighbor have a love plot set up that literally never gets picked up in the entire show. It felt like they kept skipping pages….

The set is pretty okay. For the quality of work everyone is hyping it up as… the amount of screens and floating set pieces is pretty disappointing.

If you loved Matilda, you’d hate this. If you loved Elf, you’d love this.