The acclaimed theatre production, which has been running on the West End since late 2025, will land in Sydney in September 2027. There is as yet no indication whether it will travel on to other Australian cities.
NSW Minister for Jobs and Tourism Steve Kamper described securing the show for Sydney, which will be just the third city to host it after London and New York, as a "fantastic coup". New York will open the production next year.
Based on Michael Bond's 1958 book A Bear Called Paddington, the musical tells the story of a lost bear from Peru who travels to London in search of a new home. Many audience members will recognise the character from StudioCanal's popular three-part film series, the first of which premiered in 2014 and featured Ben Whishaw as the voice of the bear and Nicole Kidman as an animal-stuffing villain.
The production features a realistic puppet and animatronic bear. Since opening on the West End in November 2025, it quickly became a commercial and critical hit, recording the highest ticket presales in West End history and eventually extending its London run. It has won seven awards.
Co-producers Sonia Friedman and Eliza Lumley said they had always wanted the musical to open only in cities where it could be produced with the same ambition, care and theatrical scale as in London. "Paddington's journey across the world in search of a new home, and his discovery that home can be found through kindness, acceptance and a sense of belonging, feels particularly resonant for Australian audiences," they said.