The Nanny McPhee stage musical with a book by Emma Thompson, first revealed by Deadline back in 2024, will open in London in summer 2027.
Based on the Universal Pictures/Working Title Nanny McPhee films, and the Nurse Matilda character by Christianna Brand and Edward Ardizzone that inspired them, the new musical will take the tale to the stage for the first time.
The creative team behind the production will feature actor and writer Thompson, music by singer-songwriter Gary Clark (frontman of the band Danny Wilson who wrote the music for Sing Street on stage and film), with original lyrics by Thompson and Clark.
‘I’ve lived with Nanny McPhee for so long that to see her finally tread the boards is supremely exciting,” said Thompson, who starred in the 2005 and 2010 McPhee films. “Theatre feels like her natural home – magic, music, mischief and a good dollop of danger can all happen right in front of you. Working with Gary Clark to create the musical heart that beats through the story has been an unforgettable journey of a lifetime. And I am thrilled and so proud that the brilliant Katy Rudd will be bringing it all to life with her inimitable witty wonderment. I can’t wait to introduce the all-new Nanny McPhee to audiences next summer.”
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Nanny McPhee will be directed by Katy Rudd (Ballet Shoes and The Ocean at the End of the Lane), with set and costume designs by the Tony and Olivier Award-winning Rob Howell (Matilda the Musical) and choreography by Ellen Kane, winner of the 2023 World Choreography Award for Best Motion Picture Choreography for Matilda the Musical.
The musical’s synopsis: “When the mysterious figure of Nanny McPhee arrives at the Browns’ door she discovers a household in chaos; anarchic children who have driven away every Nanny before her, a desperate father, a donkey that is out of control, and a baby who will stop at nothing. Armed with her strange knobbly stick, exceedingly unorthodox methods and quite a lot of magic, Nanny McPhee begins to restore harmony. And as it turns out, the children aren’t the only family members who have lessons to learn.”
Also part of the creative team are orchestrations by Simon Hale, music supervision by Nigel Lilley, and music arrangements by Simon Hale and Nigel Lilley. Lighting is by Howard Hudson, sound designs by Ian Dickinson for Autograph, illusions by Chris Fisher, puppetry by Samuel Wyer, and projections by Andrzej Goulding.
Nanny McPhee is presented by Working Title Films and Universal Theatrical Group. The show is produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lindsay Doran, Emma Thompson, Paul Warwick Griffin, Gareth Hewitt Williams and Rebecca Quigley for Working Title Films.
