Emma Thompson’s NANNY MCPHEE musical sets summer 2027 London world premiere
Working Title Films and Universal Theatrical Group have set the world premiere of the new NANNY MCPHEE musical for London in summer 2027, giving the long-developing adaptation its first official performance window. The announcement, made on 27 August 2026, leaves the theatre, exact dates, cast and ticketing arrangements to be confirmed. The Hollywood Reporter identifies the intended market as the West End, but the production’s official wording confirms only London and does not name a venue.
Emma Thompson has written the musical’s book and is one of its producers. She shares lyric credit with Gary Clark, who is writing the music. The announcement places Thompson behind the scenes rather than in the title role she played on screen. She is not currently announced to perform in or direct the 2027 production, and no other role for her has been identified.
Official materials say the stage work is based on the Universal Pictures and Working Title NANNY MCPHEE films and the Nurse Matilda character that inspired them, with source credit to Christianna Brand and Edward Ardizzone. The announced story brings Nanny McPhee into the chaotic Brown household, where her unconventional methods and magic are used to restore harmony. The producers have not said whether the musical follows one film, combines material from both or substantially reshapes the source. Its precise narrative scope therefore remains open, including how much new material Thompson’s book contains.
Working Title released the first NANNY MCPHEE film in 2005, with Thompson writing the screenplay and starring as the title character. She returned as writer and star for the 2010 sequel NANNY MCPHEE AND THE BIG BANG. In the new announcement, Thompson presented theatre as a natural home for the property’s blend of magic, music, mischief and danger, and highlighted her collaboration with Clark and director Katy Rudd. The musical extends her authorship of the screen property into a new theatrical form.
Rudd leads a team assembled across several forms of stagecraft. Rob Howell will design sets and costumes, while Ellen Kane will choreograph. The production has appointed Chris Fisher for illusions, Samuel Wyer for puppetry and Andrzej Goulding for projections. Those separate briefs give the musical dedicated creative leads for practical illusion, physical objects and projected imagery, alongside Howell’s visual design and Kane’s movement. The announcement does not reveal how individual magical effects or sequences will be realised.
The wider team also covers the score’s orchestral treatment, lighting and sound. Simon Hale is responsible for orchestrations, and Nigel Lilley is music supervisor; Hale and Lilley jointly hold the arrangements credit. Howard Hudson will design lighting, while Ian Dickinson for Autograph will design sound. Casting is by Natalie Gallacher CDG for Pippa Aillon and Natalie Gallacher Casting. No performer has been announced for Nanny McPhee or the Brown family. Song titles, running time, interval structure and recommended audience age are also unannounced.
The project has carried several prospective opening windows since it became public. In April 2018, Thompson and Clark were reported to be developing the adaptation with an ambition to reach the West End in 2019 or 2020. Playbill also reported that Thompson then intended to direct. That timetable was a target rather than a confirmed season, and the current announcement instead names Rudd as director. Deadline, in reporting syndicated by Yahoo Entertainment in 2024, later said the musical was aiming for a 2026 West End run and that Rudd had joined. The official summer 2027 London window now supersedes both earlier targets.
The 2027 production is billed as the world premiere of the new musical adaptation, not as Nanny McPhee’s first appearance in any stage form. London Children’s Ballet records that it presented a ballet adaptation of the film in 2014. That earlier production does not affect the new musical’s world-premiere billing, but it rules out a broader first-ever stage claim.
The named producers are Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lindsay Doran, Thompson, Paul Warwick Griffin, Gareth Hewitt Williams and Rebecca Quigley for Working Title Films. That producing roster sits within the joint presentation announced by Working Title Films and Universal Theatrical Group, while Playful Productions will provide general management.
The next practical milestones are the identity of the London theatre, the performance schedule, casting and ticket sales arrangements. Neither first-preview nor press-night timing is specified, and there is no announced closing date or booking period. The production’s official website is open for registrations for further information, but no on-sale date, prices or authorised ticketing partners have been named. No workshop, developmental presentation or engagement before London has been announced. There is also no confirmed UK tour, international transfer or Australian season. The venue, cast and dates remain the key outstanding announcements.
