Theater review

PADDINGTON: THE MUSICAL

Two hours, 40 minutes, with one intermission. At the Savoy Theatre in London.

At one point during “Paddington: The Musical” at the Savoy Theatre in London, I could swear I saw the bear actually start to cry.

That’s impossible, of course. Pad’s a puppet.

But his artificiality is easy to forget, because the adorable creature designed by Tahra Zafar is so instantly real from the second he takes the stage to entrance applause that the audience wants to file interspecies adoption papers.

The artistry behind the Peruvian marmalade fanatic is impeccable; a mesmerizing fur de force.

Not to mention a huge relief for fans of the books and movies. Getting Paddington perfect down to the very last hair was essential. Otherwise, there’d be no show — or, at l

See Full Page