Menier Chocolate Factory's major revival of Barnum opens on 5 December, with previews from 25 November, and runs until 3 March 2018. Barnum tells the story of P.T. Barnum, the Greatest Showman on Earth, who combines razzle-dazzle with charm and brass to sell "humbug" to cheering crowds. A joyful and moving musical portrait of the nineteenth century's greatest show-biz legend, Barnum is a colourful, dynamic spectacle full of circus, side-show legends and heart.
Check out photos from the rehearsal room below!
Director Gordon Greenberg is joined by musical director Alex Parker, choreographer ReBecca Howell, designer Paul Farnsworth, sound designer Greg Clarke, and circus director Scott Maidment. Maidment is the Founding Director of Strut & Fret. Combining theatre, circus, aerial and spectacle, he has produced major events for festivals such as the Sydney Festival, Brisbane Festival, Melbourne Festival, Brisbane International Film Festival, Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Adelaide Fringe Festival and Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He also directed LIMBO and Cantina which played to great success on the South Bank, Blanc de Blanc at the Hippodrome, and was a consultant to Madonna on her recent world tour.
With music by C. Coleman (Sweet Charity and The Life), lyrics by Michael Stewart (book writer of Hello Dolly! and Mack and Mabel; and co-adaptor of 42nd Street), and book by Mark Bramble (co-author of 42nd Street and director of the current revival), this Tony Award-winning musical premièred on Broadway in 1980.
Gordon Greenberg directs. He co-wrote and directed the Broadway stage adaptation of Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn at Studio 54 for Roundabout Theatre Company and Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Guys And Dolls (Chichester Festival Theatre, Savoy Theatre and Phoenix Theatre), Working (59 E 59 in New York - also adapted), Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well... (Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Award nominations - also adapted), Johnny Baseball (Williamstown), Tangled (Disney), Blue Sky Boys(Capital Rep.), Luck Be A Lady (Asolo), Pirates! Or Gilbert and Sullivan Plunder'd (co-creator, Huntington, Paper Mill, Goodspeed, MUNY), Band Geeks! (also co-writer, Goodspeed), The Baker's Wife (Paper Mill, Goodspeed), 1776 (Paper Mill), Floyd Collins(Signature), Yentl (Asolo), and Half A Sixpence (Goodspeed).
Box Office: 020 7378 1713 (£2.50 transaction fee per booking)
Website: www.menierchocolatefactory.com (£1.50 transaction fee per booking)
Photo Credit: Nobby Clark
Dominic Owen, Marcus Brigstocke, Ainsley Hall Ricketts
Celinde Schoenmaker, Marcus Brigstocke, and company
Celinde Schoenmaker and company
Philip Marriott, Harry Francis, Eamonn Cox, Owen Winship
Owen Winship, Harry Francis, Eamonn Cox
Harry Francis and company
Dominic Owen and company
The company of Barnum
Laura Pitt-Pulford, Marcus Brigstocke
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