Step right up and dream big when Barnum, the circus musical, brings sights and sounds to marvel at to Milton Keynes Theatre this week, writes Georgina Butler.
Revived for its first UK tour in over a decade, this show is inspired by the life and legend of Phineas Taylor (PT) Barnum. That’s right, the real-life nineteenth-century American impresario whose experiences sparked 2017 film The Greatest Showman. Long before Hugh Jackman brought Barnum to the big screen, the all-singing, all-juggling stage show was celebrating the entertainer whose ambition knew no limits.
The musical follows Barnum’s rise from small-town dreamer to global showman, with his devoted wife Charity by his side. Reimagined for a new generation, this fresh production promises music, magic and miracles.
Barnum opened on Broadway in 1980 and first took the UK by storm when it played the London Palladium in 1981. Michael Crawford made his sensational West End debut starring as PT Barnum. The role saw him performing a death-defying nightly tightrope walk across the stage and won him his first Olivier award.
Blending theatre and circus, the musical is devised as a joyful celebration of imagination, artistry and bold showmanship. It features a large ensemble cast of actor-musicians – who play over 150 instruments live on stage – alongside performers trained in acrobatics and circus arts. Ticketholders should expect to be swept up in a breathtaking whirlwind of dazzling spectacle.
Barnum is written by Mark Bramble (42nd Street), with a score by Cy Colman and lyrics by Michael Stewart. This revival of the original Broadway show is directed by Jonathan O’Boyle and choreographed by Oti Mabuse (Strictly Come Dancing, The Cher Show). Musical numbers include the classic show tunes ‘Join The Circus’, Colours Of My Life’, ‘Come Follow The Band’ and ‘Love Makes Such Fools Of Us All’.
Matt Rawle is stepping into the spotlight (and onto the tightrope!) as PT Barnum, with Monique Young (Mary Poppins) as Charity Barnum. They are joined by Penny Ashmore as opera singer Jenny Lind, Dominique Planter as enslaved curiosity Joice Heth and Fergus Rattigan as dwarf performer General Tom Thumb.
The cast is completed by: Elena Buck, Gianpaolo Candelaria, Eamonn Cox, James Gill, Jessica Jolleys, Kevin Oliver Jones, Emma Jane Morton, Sophie Precious Muringu, Lennin Nelson-McClure, Emily Odunsi, André Rodrigues, Ben Scott, Laura Sillett, Tom Sowinski, Tom Sterling and Niki Tsonopoulou.
Running time: Approximately 2 hours 20 minutes, including an interval.
Age guidance: 8+
Includes smoke, haze, gunshots, fire, loud noise, flashing lights, darkness, latex balloons and clowns.
Contains depictions of racism, slavery and the exploitation of children and animals.
*Production photography by Pamela Raith.
Barnum is at Milton Keynes Theatre from Tuesday 8 to Saturday 12 September. The UK tour continues until 31 October.
Georgina Butler is an editor, a dance writer and a ballet teacher.
Image: Pamela Raith Photography
