Barnum - A Northern Theatre Review

I wasn’t meant to be going to see this, one of my ace reviewers was going until a change of plans saw me step in…

So glad I did!

This is vibrant, energetic and gloriously full of life from the off, the kind of show that makes you sit up in your seat, grin like a loon, and start tapping your feet. It has that proper old fashioned event feel to it, helped in no small part by an absolutely packed audience who were ready to be swept along from the off.

And swept along they were!

At the centre of it all is Lee Mead, who makes for a hugely charismatic Barnum. He has charm in abundance, a warm connection with the audience and a real sense of mischief, but there is also something touching in the performance too. Barnum can so easily become all flash and bluster, yet Mead shows conflict, heart and pathos as well.

I’ve not seen the show before, though I’m somehwat familiar with Barnum, and The Greatest Showman of course. What I didn’t know was that you see real circus performances on stage. This is not a production that simply gestures towards spectacle. It goes for it full on. There is fire eating, tumbling, ropes, wires and all manner of circus skill on display, giving the show an extra layer of wow factor that keeps it feeling fresh and surprising.

More startling was Lee Mead actually walks the tightrope, 10ft in the air across the width of stage. It gives the whole thing a genuine jolt of danger and excitement that had the audience hanging on every step.

The leads across the board are excellent, and the wider cast are terrific, but shout out to Monique Young, she’s an amazing foil to Mead, a real presence on stage and you really get a sense of her agency.

One of the other delights here is the use of musician actors, which adds even more energy and texture to the production. It helps the show feel constantly in motion, as though it is tumbling forward on pure adrenaline. And that spirit is matched by the circus elements woven throughout.

It is also, unexpectedly at times, quite moving. For all its showbiz sparkle and foot stomping bravado, Barnum has real emotional pull. There was one moment in particular that genuinely made me cry, which rather caught me off guard - in the best possible way.

Do I have a complaint? Well a tiny one, and one shared with The Greatest Showman, it does gloss over the darker aspects of Barnum’s character. He did exploit the marginalised, animals and those around him and that is kind of soft peddled here.

In some ways, Barnum does feels like a bit like The Greatest Showman with different songs, but that is not a criticism in the slightest. It has that same rousing, crowd pleasing, heart on its sleeve appeal, but it also has its own theatrical identity and live wire magic.

For me it’s a bit like Willy Wonka, I live in a world where we have Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp, and I love both versions!

So, to sum up, this is a big, colourful, unapologetically entertaining night at the theatre, full of talent, spectacle and heart.

Bradford Alhambra’s audience loved every minute!

As did I.

Cast
Lee Mead — P.T. Barnum
Monique Young — Charity Barnum
Penny Ashmore — Jenny Lind
Dominique Planter — Joice Heth
Fergus Rattigan — General Tom Thumb

Elena Bluck
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
Niki Tsonopoulou

Creative team
Music — Cy Coleman
Lyrics — Michael Stewart
Book — Mark Bramble
Director — Jonathan O’Boyle
Choreographer — Oti Mabuse
Arranger, Orchestrator and Musical Supervisor — George Dyer
Set and Costume Designer — Lee Newby
Co-Choreographer — Matt Nicholson
Lighting Designer — Jai Morjaria
Sound Designer — Tom Marshall
Associate Director and Musical Staging — Jess Ellen Knight
Circus Director — Amy Panter
Magic Consultant — Richard Pinner
Circus Instructors — Iona Luvsandorj and Sabrina Joshua
Puppet Designers — Mervyn Millar and Tracy Waller for Significant Object
Puppetry Director — Helen Foan for Significant Object
Circus Consultants — Zippos Circus and The National Centre for Circus Arts