From Page to Stage: The Visual Storytelling Behind Paddington: The Musical

Overview

Paddington is an iconic character from Michael Bond’s books, a soft-hearted childhood favourite for so many of us. Now, for the first time in history, this beloved character has stepped out of the pages of the books and onto the stage as a fully realised musical production: Paddington: The Musical.

The musical is currently a hit in London’s West End at the Savoy Theatre (late 2025 / early 2026). The show is the result of more than six years of development, and we are honoured to have played a part in bringing it to life with INFiLED AR Series LED walls (now upgraded to ARmk2), supplied by our long-term partner Stage Sound Services.

We sat down with Dan Trenchard, Video Engineer on the production (and also Video Engineer on Muriel’s Wedding: The Musical), to talk about the work behind the scenes.

The Visual Design: A Warm, Storybook World

Video content for Paddington: The Musical was created by video designer Ash J Woodward and is central to how the story is told. The video design has multiple roles within the production, but its primary function is as a storytelling aid, working in close collaboration with the set design and performance to shape the audience’s experience of the world.

Video is fully integrated with the physical set, extending and transforming the stage environment as the story moves between locations. The content is designed to reflect real world objects and architectural details, creating scenic elements that feel tangible and grounded rather than being overtly video design. This allows the video to function as part of the scenery, seamlessly completing spaces and supporting the action.

Alongside this realism, the video design also enables moments of heightened imagination and fantasy. It supports Paddington’s inner world through sequences such as marmalade fuelled fever dreams and the journey into the depths of the Peruvian jungle, where the visual language shifts into something more expressive and playful.

Throughout the production, the video design is carefully aligned with the physical architecture of the set, particularly the dark wooden bookshelves that frame much of the stage space. Together, the video and set create a cohesive storybook aesthetic that moves fluidly between reality and fantasy, always in service of the narrative.

A Core Requirement: Believable, Not “LED”

From the moment Dan joined the production, one key brief was clear: the video on the LED wall needed to feel believable and textured, not glossy or cinematic. The LED wall had to disappear into the world of the show — never feeling electronic — while still delivering accuracy and consistency, particularly at very low brightness levels.

There were also physical constraints to consider. The LED wall flies in and out during the performance, and the production is staged in an older theatre, where weight and automation limits are critical. The system needed to remain lightweight while supporting complex movement and long-term reliability as the musical is going to run through 2026 till 2027 February.

Beyond visual and structural concerns, predictability was essential. Content needed to translate accurately from the designer’s screen to the stage, ensuring the technology never disrupted rehearsals, previews, or the show’s long-running schedule.

The Process: Six Years of Care, One Chance to Get It Right

As Dan shared during the interview, the production audiences see today is the result of six years of collective work across writing, design, workshops, and technical development. 

Well known within the theatre community, Dan has long been trusted by video designers for his ability to bridge creativity and technology. When he joined Paddington: The Musical in 2025, he brought both technical rigour and an understanding of real-world constraints — including cost — to a project that mattered deeply on an emotional level.

Once the brief was understood, Dan quickly identified INFiLED’s AR Series as the right solution. The product had already proven itself on Starlight Express, a production with the same director, Luke Sheppard, making it a trusted reference point for the creative team.

However, selecting the product was only the beginning. The production relies on both projection and LED, and these two visual worlds needed to complement each other rather than compete — a challenge that demanded close collaboration between video, animation, and lighting teams:

“We always know LED is going to outshine projection, but we don’t want to just turn the LED down until it looks like a dead screen. The challenge for Ash and the animators was finding a way for those two worlds to blend together.”

INFiLED AR Series: Present, Precise, and Unnoticed

The LED wall needed to function as an extension of the physical set — visually indistinguishable from architecture, scenery, and lighting. Positioned upstage, it plays a vital role in establishing location and atmosphere, especially as the physical set remains largely consistent throughout the show.

From London streets to Paddington Station, the LED provides visual cues that help place the audience within the story — without them realising they are watching LED at all.

• Colour Excellence Over Brightness

For Paddington: The Musical, brightness was never the priority. The show’s warm, nostalgic tone demanded restraint. What mattered most was colour accuracy, control, and consistency, especially at very low brightness levels.

As Dan puts it:

“What we really need is colour processing, colour control, and reliability — that’s why we keep going back to the AR Series.”

Running through a Brompton LED processor, the AR Series delivered stable colour performance even when operating around 100 nits, allowing the video designer’s intent to translate faithfully to the stage.

• Lightweight by Design

Weight is always a critical factor when installing LED in historic theatres, particularly for automated scenery.

The AR Series cabinets, weighing just 12.5 kg (27.56 lb), proved ideal for a flying installation that needed to move throughout the show without compromising safety or performance.

“It’s nine metres wide by seven metres high, and it flies in and out during the show. There’s already a base weight from the automation, and then we add the wall — so weight is a real consideration in an older theatre.”

• Pixel Pitch & Viewing Distance

Unlike Muriel’s Wedding: The Musical, where LED elements were positioned much closer to the audience, Paddington: The Musical places the LED wall approximately 12 metres from the front row.

This distance made AR2.9 (2.9 mm pixel pitch) the ideal choice, delivering the required resolution without unnecessary over-specification. The final installation measures 9 m wide by 7 m high, comprising 126 AR2.9 cabinets.

As Dan summarises:

“We can achieve everything we need with the AR.”

Partnerships That Make It Work: INFiLED, Brompton,  Disguise, SSS

At INFiLED, we place great value on partnerships across the industry. We know we can’t make things happen alone — and we certainly can’t bring people’s dreams to the stage on our own. It takes the collective effort of an entire ecosystem. 

That belief is reflected in our close partnerships with Brompton and Disguise, whose technologies played a significant role in the success of the musical.

 As Dan confirmed during the interview, this integrated workflow was essential:

“The challenge is getting the most out of the content. What’s great is how quickly we can adjust brightness in the room and see the result straight away. We don’t need to change the content immediately; we can react in real time. Then, once those levels are decided, Disguise recalls them automatically during the show, while in rehearsals we choose when to fade or step between levels.”

Equally important is our long-term partnership with SSS (Stage Sound Services), the rental partner for the LED installation on this production. SSS plays a crucial role in bringing INFiLED LED solutions to the stage, acting as a vital bridge between our technology and live productions such as Paddington: The Musical. As James Paul, Head of Video at Stage Sound Services, confirms:

“This production highlights the importance of strong collaboration and trusted partnerships in delivering a successful show. Working with Ash, Dan, the creative team, and partners such as INFiLED, Brompton, and Disguise, we were able to combine advanced technology with real-world expertise to create something special.”

Conclusion

In a tough and often overwhelming world, Paddington: The Musical has arrived at exactly the right moment, as Daily Express puts it, it’s “ a true love letter to kindness”.

Since opening at London’s Savoy Theatre, the production has been met with an overwhelmingly positive response from audiences and critics alike, becoming the most-nominated show in What’s On Stage Awards history, with a total of fourteen nominations and bringing home 9 awards!

According to the official website, performances are currently booking through 14 February 2027. If you are planning a visit to London, it is strongly recommended to take the time to see it.