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Winnie the Pooh The Musical announces UK venues

The adorable musical crosses the pond

Author: Rhys FreemanPublished 30th Jan 2023

The new stage adaptation of Disney's Winnie the Pooh will be getting its UK premiere in Spring 2023.

The musical will begin performances at London's Riverside Studios in Hammersmith from 17th March 2023 before heading on tour across the UK and Ireland.

Jake Bazel, who originated the role of Winnie the Pooh on Broadway will reprise his role as the titular character for the London run and Benjamin Durham (Young Frankenstein) will play the role on tour.

Eeyore, Piglet, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga and Roo will be brought to life by an ensemble of performers, including Laura Bacon (Britain’s Got Talent, Star Wars), Harry Boyd (The Play That Goes Wrong, Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story), Alex Cardall (Evita, The Osmonds: A New Musical), Chloe Gentles (Mamma Mia!, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), Lottie Grogan (Smurfs Save Spring: The Musical, The Lips for Puppets with Guys) and Robbie Noonan (Avenue Q UK Tour, Jack and the Beanstalk)

Disney's Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Adaptation first ran in New York in 2021, it was created by Jonathan Rockefeller and features life sized puppets of the beloved residents of the Hundred Acre Wood.

The musical is based on A. A. Milne's classic children's books and Disney's featurettes and includes an original score by Nate Edmondson along with of the Sherman Brothers' songs that were written for the animated features such as 'Winnie the Pooh', 'The Blustery Day', 'The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers' and 'Whoop-De-Dooper Bounce'.

Disney's Winnie the Pooh presented by Rockefeller Productions, in partnership with ROYO, and in association with Disney Theatrical Productions.

How to get tickets to Winnie the Pooh the Musical

For the latest updates about the show and more information on how to get tickets head to the official website for Winnie the Pooh the Musical.

Winnie the Pooh The Musical - 2023 tour dates:

31st August - 2nd September - Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

Further dates are to be announced.

Check out the Disney films that moved over to the stage:

Beauty and the Beast

Disney bosses did not waste much time at all with getting Beauty and the Beast to the stage after the animated film was released in 1991! Opening on Broadway in 1994, Beauty and the Beast starred Terrence Mann as the Beast and Susan Egan as Belle, who later voiced Meg in Disney's Hercules. The musical ran until 2007 on Broadway, and in the West End from 1997 to 1999, following the same plot as the film: after her father is imprisoned by a beastly creature in the depths of the woods, Belle trades her freedom for his, but grows to love her captor.

Beauty and the Beast (2021)

After two decades away, a brand new production of Beauty and the Beast which went on a UK & Ireland tour and a summer run in the West End in 2022!

The Lion King

The Lion King is one of the most spectacular stage productions of all time! Following the same story as the 1994 animated film, the musical premiered on Broadway in 1997 and in the West End in 1999 - where it still continues to run. The show is renowned for its innovative use of staging and costumes, as well as puppetry for some of the animals.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

One of the less popular movies, The Hunchback of Notre Dame has some of the most beautiful music from Disney's catalogue. Although it was never performed in the West End or Broadway, it ran successfully in Berlin from 1999 until 2002 and more or less followed the same plot as the 1996 film: Quasimodo is a kindly but lonely bellringer who longs to ingratiate himself in society and is controlled by his evil stepfather, Frollo. When he finally does break free, he falls in love with Esmeralda the gypsy... But so does Frollo.

Mary Poppins

Fans of Mary Poppins will know that the novel's original author, P. L. Travers, was something of a road block when it came to the 1964 film - and this was the case again when theatre producer Cameron Mackintosh approached her in 1993 to make a stage show; allowing it to go ahead but with certain stipulations. Mary Poppins pretty much followed the same plot as the film, but there were a few changes along the way. The show made its stage debut in the West End in 2004 - the only Disney musical to premiere in the UK - before opening on Broadway in 2006, with a West End revival in 2019.

Tarzan

Phil Collins returned to Tarzan after writing five songs for the original 1999 animated film, penning nine more for the stage show, which opened on Broadway in 2006 and ran for just over a year before performances all over the world, including a five-year run in Germany. It followed the story of the film: Jane and her father discover Tarzan living among gorillas, and his family's safety is jeopardised by the group Jane and her father arrived with.

The Little Mermaid

The stage show of The Little Mermaid was met with huge enthusiasm from theatre producers - but a brick wall came in the form of creating an underwater space on stage... So director Francesca Zambello had the actors wear Heelys and used lighting in a clever way to reflect water. Sierra Boggess originated the role of Ariel when the show premiered on Broadway in 2008 - her debut Broadway performance - and has gone on to become a huge stage star. The show closed just over 18 months later.

Aladdin

Aladdin the musical premiered in Seattle in 2011, before a Toronto tryout in 2013 and settling on Broadway in 2014. A West End production starred former Sugababe and Eurovision hopeful Jade Ewen as Jasmine, opening in 2016 and closing in 2019. A special performance of the show was filmed in August 2019 a week after it had closed at the Prince Edward Theatre, starring cast members from the original Broadway production, as well as the West End, and Australian and US tours.

Pinocchio

The on-stage version of Pinocchio premiered in December 2017 at the Royal National Theatre in London, running until April 2018. The National Theatre are well-known for their clever use of puppetry, which of course tied in well with a story about a boy made of wood!

Frozen

As one of the most popular Disney films of all time, it was no surprise that bosses chose to put Frozen on the stage! It follows the storyline of the 2013 film, with Queen Elsa struggling to control her snowy powers and accidentally injuring her sister Anna. Premiering on Broadway in 2018, the show was suspended in March 2020 due to the global pandemic and toured the US instead of returning to Broadway.

However, a West End production opened in April 2021 after being postponed, with Les Misérables star Samantha Barks as Elsa.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

Disney's 1971 film Bedknobs and Broomsticks is an absolute classic, the original film is based on stories by Mary Norton, starred Angela Lansbury, included animated characters and had a flying bed! So it's no surprise that the film has finally been given the stage treatment.

The musical adaptation of Bedknobs and Broomsticks opened at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle upon Tyne in August 2021 which kicked off a UK & Ireland tour which ran until May 2022.

Newsies

Inspired by the New York newsboys strike of 1899, Newsies first arrived on screen in the 1992 with music Alan Menken and lyrics by Jack Feldman. Despite a disappointing performance at the box office, the film's cult following led the way for a stage adaptation to be made.

The stage musical of Newsies arrived on Broadway in 2012 following a run in New Jersey, and picked up eight Tony nominations with the musical becoming well known for its impressive ensemble of dancers. Ten years later the musical finally came to the UK with a new production at the Troubadour Theatre in Wembley.

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