A new musical stage adaption of Disney’s Winnie the Pooh will open at London’s Riverside Studios in March 2023, ahead of a UK and Ireland tour.
Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Adaptation is developed and presented by renowned family entertainment creator Jonathan Rockefeller (whose spectacular puppetry is omnipresent in the acclaimed productions of The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show and Paddington Gets in a Jam).
The show will begin performances at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith London on 17 March with an official opening on 26 March 2023. It will then embark on a UK & Ireland tour travelling to: Southampton Mayflower Theatre (31 May – 4 June); Milton Keynes Theatre (9 – 11 June); Birmingham Hippodrome (16 – 18 June); Sheffield Lyceum Theatre (20 – 22 June); Brighton Theatre Royal (23 – 25 June); Nottingham Theatre Royal (28 June – 1 July); Richmond Theatre (7 – 9 July); Aberdeen His Majesty’s Theatre (14 – 16 July); Edinburgh Festival Theatre (18 – 19 July); Glasgow Kings Theatre (20 – 22 July); Manchester Opera House (25 – 26 July); Dublin Bord Gais Energy Theatre (28 – 30 July); York Grand Opera House (1 – 2 August); Cardiff Wales Millennium Centre 3 – 5 August); Newcastle Theatre Royal (7 – 9 August); Guildford Yvonne Arnaud (11 – 13 August); Blackpool Grand Theatre (14 – 16 August); Canterbury Marlowe Theatre (18 – 20 August); Southend Cliffs Pavilion (25 – 27 August); High Wycombe Wycombe Swan (29 – 30 August); and, Cheltenham Everyman Theatre (31 August – 2 Sept). Further tour dates will also be announced.
The role of Winnie the Pooh will be played by Jake Bazel, who originated the role on Broadway. Further casting to be announced.
In a new story from the Hundred Acre Wood, this fresh stage adaptation is told with impressive life-size puppetry, exciting new stories and featuring characters that have played iconic roles in the lives of children for generations.
Accompanying the modern narrative is an original score by Nate Edmondson, featuring some of the Grammy award-winning songs written by the Sherman Brothers for the original animated features, including Winnie the Pooh, The Blustery Day, The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers and Whoop-De-Dooper Bounce, plus A.A. Milne’s The More It Snows (featuring music by Carly Simon) and Sing Ho in a new arrangement.
“The music, the life-size puppets, and the charming performances are the perfect way to introduce (or re-introduce) audiences to live theatre, and this is a must-see show for Winnie the Pooh fans of all ages. I am thrilled to be entrusted to bring this celebrated character to the stage for new audiences as they join our adventure into the Hundred Acre Wood,” said Jonathan Rockefeller.
Inspired by the beloved books by A. A. Milne and the classic Disney featurettes, the production opened to rave reviews in New York in 2021, where it broke theatre box office records for the largest theatre tickets advance at the venue.
Tickets on sale soon.
