Emma Thompson Shares that Stephen Sondheim Advised Her Not to Star in NANNY MCPHEE Musical

Emma Thompson recently joined Heart Breakfast with Jamie Theakston and Zoe Hardman (in for Amanda Holden) to talk all about Nanny McPhee The Musical. Thompson revealed why she won't be playing the title role in the musical, after Stephen Sondheim warned her 'you will die' trying to do the job of writing the musical as well as starring in it.

"Of course it was suggested that I do that and I had just worked with Stephen Sondheim. Who of course, is a certified genius, God rest him," Thompson shared. "And he was extraordinary and he said 'look, if you need to talk to me or if you have any questions then just reach out.' So, I did and I said 'Stephen they want me to play her, what do you think?' And he said 'you can't do that you will die.' And I said 'why?' And he said 'because you are writing it and as it goes into preview you think you've got it right and that you have got it absolutely to the right point and then you get an audience and suddenly you know that something is wrong. So, what is going to happen is you're going to have your first preview and one song is not going to work and then you will spend the whole night writing a new song. And the next day the actors will learn the song.' He said that you just can't do both things and you will not be able to survive that. And it was such a good lesson to do one job."

Watch the full interview here.

About Nanny McPhee the Musical

The world premiere production, with a book by Academy Award-winning actor and screenwriter Emma Thompson, and music by singer-songwriter Gary Clark, will open at the Aldwych Theatre in London's West End with performances from Saturday 6 November 2027.

Based on the Nanny McPhee films, and the Nurse Matilda character by Christianna Brand and Edward Ardizzone that inspired them, the new musical will bring the magical world of Nanny McPhee to the stage for the first time.

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.

Universal Pictures, Working Title Films and Three Strange Angels first brought Nanny McPhee to the screen in the 2005 film written by and starring Emma Thompson, alongside Colin Firth, Angela Lansbury, Kelly MacDonald, Imelda Staunton, Celia Imrie and Thomas Brodie-Sangster. Thompson returned to write and star in the 2010 sequel Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang.

Although casting is still to be confirmed, an award-winning creative team is already at work bringing Nanny McPhee to life on stage. The musical has a book by Academy Award, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor and writer Emma Thompson, who won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Sense and Sensibility, music by singer-songwriter Gary Clark, frontman of the band Danny Wilson and composer of the music for Sing Street on stage and screen, and original lyrics by Emma Thompson and Gary Clark.

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 Musical Staging and choreography by Ellen Kane (Paddington: The Musical), who won the 2023 World Choreography Award for Best Motion Picture Choreography for her work on the film adaptation of Matilda the Musical.