Decca Records' Laura Monks and Paddington The Musical producer Eliza Lumley have told Music Week why they are playing the long game with the cast recording of the smash-hit West End production.
Paddington The Musical – Original Cast Recording received its full album release on vinyl, CD, cassette and Yoto last Friday (May 22) via the Universal Music Group (UMG) label.
Due to demand, music from the album was brought forward and released digitally on April 10.
Recorded with a full orchestra at Abbey Road Studios, with vocals from the complete West End Cast, the record is arranged, orchestrated and produced by Matt Brind, with music and lyrics by McFly hitmaker Tom Fletcher.
Based at the Savoy Theatre – and now extended until February 13, 2028 – Paddington The Musical is based on A Bear Called Paddington written by Michael Bond and the film Paddington, by special arrangement with StudioCanal. It is co-produced by Eliza Lumley Productions on behalf of UMG UK.
"I have been to see the show now two or maybe three times and I've seen grown men cry," revealed Decca president Monks. "This is definitely a show that will be an evergreen for years to come."
"UMG UK has had a long-standing interest in musicals – from great cast recordings to shows like Mamma Mia! – and at the time, back in 2016, I suggested it would be interesting to expand into producing," Lumley told Music Week.
"We had been in conversation with StudioCanal as the second Paddington film was being released and we felt this could be the moment to start bringing Paddington to the stage. So we began a collaboration with them in 2017, and shortly afterwards partnered with Sonia Friedman – the prolific producer."
Premiering in November 2025, the musical has received multiple Olivier Awards, nine WhatsOnStage Awards and the Critics’ Circle Award for Best New Musical.
It's like signing an artist — you never know where it's going to go, but you have to believe in it – and we very much believed in Paddington
Laura Monks, Decca
Here, Lumley and Decca president Monks discuss the making of the album, the appetite for musical soundtracks and how Paddington is connecting with audiences from "six to 96"...
Can you reflect on the recording process at Abbey Road – what were the aims?
Laura Monks: "Just to have the highest quality of cast recording possible. It's hard to choose a favourite song from this record, because almost every single one of them is somebody's personal favourite. We knew we needed to do it at that quality level, and you can really hear that shine through."
Eliza Lumley: "We wanted a full orchestra – sonically, it's a very varied score and we had a 17-piece orchestra in Studio Two. There are two musical geniuses at work here: Tom Fletcher, who is the composer/lyricist, and Matt Brind, the orchestrator and arranger. Tom has written these amazing compositions, but Matt has really brought them to life in terms of the theatricality and scope of the sound.
"It was always my hope to find a pop writer who could become the next musical theatre star. When Sonia [Friedman] and I heard what Tom was doing – obviously his melody writing is exceptional, but it was an early demo of a film he was writing with [The Greatest Showman/Better Man director] Michael Gracey that made me think, 'This guy can really write to narrative,' which is a very different skill. The narrative of musical theatre writing doesn't come naturally to every pop writer, but to Tom, it absolutely did. And then, of course, we discovered that he had actually started in musical theatre. He was in Oliver as a child actor. So in a way he was coming back to his roots, and he is just extraordinary at it."
It was always my hope to find a pop writer who could become the next musical theatre star
Eliza Lumley, Eliza Lumley Productions
What commercial opportunities does the physical release of the album offer?
LM: “When you've got this vast audience that you could reach with music, where do you start? But we segmented it quite clearly. The physical release is very exciting because, on one end of the spectrum, you've got a Blood Records exclusive, which is marmalade filled – more of a collector's edition – and at the other end you've got a Yoto card. You wouldn't expect to have those two, would you? But they're book-ending a beautiful set of releases. It's about reaching as broad an audience as possible and that's what we've done here.”
EL: "And that is the audience of the show. We’re getting couples on a date night, people in their 20s, kids, multi-generational families. It really is playing from six to 96. And we are playing on weekdays to audiences of just adults, which is essential for a family show in the West End. So it’s crossing over into every single area.”
LM: “We've got collectors who have grown up reading the Paddington books, people buying for their children, Tom Fletcher fans dipping their toe into musicals, and then the broader musical audience itself. Around 50% of the streaming is happening in the 18 to 34 age group, and around 50% is now outside of the UK.”
Other labels have also partnered with Yoto in recent years. What potential is there with that format for Decca?
LM: "Yoto has been around for a few years now and has done cards on Bob Marley, the Spice Girls, etc. I have a son who's nearly three and he interacts with his Yoto Player and loves it. It was only right that they move into the music space — it's a really exciting format, we're selling a large number of them, and it's definitely going to have an impact on our chart week."
The show has extended its run, so presumably people will be able to buy the physical music when they go to see it?
LM: "It's really exciting because we have the vinyl and various products available at the show. But overarchingly, if you walk past any street corner shop in London, you will probably see Paddington Bear – he's a bit of an institution. This is about making sure that anybody who wants to interact with this music – whether that's having it on their shelf on a beautiful vinyl or listening on repeat on a streaming service – can do so.
"We always knew this was going to be a long-term project, with potential further music to come. This musical will travel the world and we will go with that. If you look at other musicals – Wicked, for example, is still going very strong alongside its original cast recording – it's very important for us that we treat this music with the due respect it deserves."
Are you expecting chart impact this week? How will you judge the success of the release?
LM: "We have our fingers crossed and we feel very good about this week. But it's not about any one week's sales, it's about growing something to be a classic that people will be listening to for years to come. That's what we intend to do with these songs."
EL: "There's huge potential as the show plays night after night. We play eight shows a week, and there's likely to be life abroad as well."
Why is there such demand for the music in the show?
EL: "Music has the ability to get to the emotional centre very quickly, and with the profound nature of the story, music fast-tracks you into that. Musicals have a great ability to be saying one thing in the lyric and making you feel another with the melody, and I think this story, ultimately, is about change and transformation. Paddington's superpower is to change everybody he meets with his kindness and his belief that he can see the good in everyone.
"Something that fascinated Tom was what Paddington's voice would be like when he sings, and I really believe that Tom found that. We have a small bear on stage singing huge ballads to the audience, and it feels right, it feels natural."
LM: "The entire team, from the producers, through to Tom, through to the cast on stage, is bringing their best. This has been 10 years in the making – 10 years of deep thought, 10 years of expert craft, and all of the right people coming together at the right moment in time. I feel very proud that Decca can be part of that."
EL: "Put it this way – I was pregnant when I started, and my daughter is now nearly nine years old. It really has been that kind of journey."
How do you assess the current appetite for musical soundtracks?
LM: "Most of the streaming and interaction comes from people who see the show itself, or from musicals fans who want to explore new songs before they go. We've also seen a huge amount of activity on social media. It's like signing an artist — you never know where it's going to go, but you have to believe in it – and we very much believed in Paddington and several other musicals across Universal over the years. But you never know if it's going to win, and this time – how many awards now, Eliza?"
EL: "We've won seven Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical, and 17 major awards altogether, which makes Paddington the most awarded musical in the history of the UK."
In this new era for Decca, how important are soundtracks?
LM: "We started our year with Hamnet with Max Richter, which was a huge success for us in a completely different way. For Decca Records, that genre space is incredibly important to us and our future, and we intend to be working more deeply in film, TV and spaces like gaming, alongside musicals. It's at the heart of what we do as a label."
What are the challenges of working on a campaign like this? And how have you overcome them?
LM: "A challenge is preconceived ideas – probably more so within the industry – that this is only about family, when it's about so much more than that. For us, it was about not being pigeonholed and making sure the music could stand on its own. That's not to say we didn't lean into the family demand – we've had a World Book Day initiative around Marmalade, which was wonderful. But the important thing was to make sure we were setting ourselves up for long-term success, and I think we're there."
EL: "If in doubt, come and see the show. Some people are not such fans of musical theatre, or don't think they are, but this one really cuts through in terms of the actual experience in the room. Paddington is cool in a weird way. It's a very emotional story and I think everyone responds to that."
PHOTO: Dave Benett/Getty Images
