The University of Central Arkansas’ Reynolds Performance Hall will present “Paddington Gets in a Jam” at 6 p.m., Thursday, March 17.
For more than 60 years, British-born writer Michael Bond has delighted children and families all over the world with his stories about Paddington, the famous, accident-prone bear. “Paddington Gets in a Jam” debuted in New York City in 2019 and is a New York Times Critic’s pick.
In this story, Paddington is making his favorite marmalade jam with the help of the Brown’s housekeeper Mrs. Bird, but they run out of sugar, so Paddington heads next door to borrow some from Mr. Curry. The usually grumpy Mr. Curry is even more short-tempered than ever as he prepares for a visit from his great aunt who is a stickler for tidiness. Paddington, feeling sorry for Mr. Curry, volunteers to help him with his chores. Unfortunately for Paddington, his good intentions end up leading to chaos, as – one by one – each of his jobs starts to have an unexpected outcome. Will Paddington be able to fix everything before Mr. Curry and his great aunt arrive home?
Who is Paddington? Although Paddington now lives in London, he originally came from Peru where he was brought up by his Aunt Lucy after he was orphaned following an earthquake when he was just a few weeks old. When Aunt Lucy went to live in the Home for Retired Bears in Lima, she decided to send him to England. Eventually, Paddington arrived at Paddington Station in London. Mr. and Mrs. Brown found him sitting on a small suitcase near the lost property office wearing nothing but an old bush hat and a label around his neck with the words “Please Look After This Bear. Thank You.” Unable to resist such a simple request, the Browns took Paddington home to live with them, their two children, and housekeeper Mrs. Bird. Paddington is famous for his love of marmalade and he is particularly fond of it in marmalade sandwiches. He always carries a jar of it in his suitcase, and he usually has a marmalade sandwich tucked under his hat “in case of emergencies.”
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children and students. Tickets may be purchased online at uca.edu/Reynolds, at the Reynolds Box Office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., or by calling UCA Ticket Central at (501) 450-3265 or toll-free at (866) 810-0012.
