Review: COME ALIVE! THE GREATEST SHOWMAN CIRCUS SPECTACULAR, Empress Museum

Based on the 2017 hit film about PT Barnum, Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular is an immersive mishmash of circus, story and song that somehow manages to do a disservice to all three.

The brainchild of creative director Simon Hammerstein, the American grandson of lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II and co-owner of The Box, it has seen him spend six months converting a mighty space near London’s Earls Court into a brand new venue dedicated to this venture. Disney is currently readying its own stage production for the West End but Hammerstein has pipped them to the post with what he calls his “Spectacular”.

If the title recalls one of the film’s famous lines (“hyperbole isn’t the worst crime”), then it is worth saying that calling Come Alive! just a show is a grave understatement. Once inside the venue, there is an engaging environment to explore all laid out in a style familiar to fans of Secret Cinema (a company which has been unusually quiet since last year’s Wishmas). Before the action starts, guests can hang out with the tarot-reading Happy Medium, relax on the Sky Terrace or buy some merch at the Empress Costume Dept. Those seeking refreshments have a choice of the Clown, Zoetrope and Balloon Bars for reasonably-priced beverages while food can be purchased in the Empress Diner. The more curious can poke their heads into the Beasts Cage or converse with the show characters as they wander around before entering the massive Big Top.

Come Alive!’s story isn’t its strongest point. We first meet Aaliya Mai’s Max as she discovers a circus costume. The inscription tells her that it can be worn only once per generation and on opening night. The Showman (Simon Bailey) appears and leads here into the initial blast of circus which lights up the stage with aerialists and ground-based acrobats. From there, it is very hard to tell exactly what is happening but this is a plot with all the clarity and charm of an insurance policy’s terms and conditions. A battalion of drama PhDs would struggle to explain why we see the troupe walk around with their luggage, why the Showman spends half the time stomping around like a grumpy uncle and rest exhorting us all to have a jolly time, what the significance of the strange red LED hoop is or why Max changes outfit every now and then without any plausible reason to do so. This creates a sense of befuddlement throughout and the programme eschews any kind of handy synopsis. This is a shame as companies like Gifford’s Circus and Cirque du Soleil have both shown that it is more than possible to deliver on a narrative in a big top environment, even an abstract one.

The circus itself is, in the main, entertaining without being in any way memorable or groundbreaking. Circus choreographers Tilde Björfors and Mattias Andersson play it far too safe given the quality of the cast and the facilities (one of the updates to the venue was adding a huge mother truss to support the rigging). Some parts feel more plastic than organic and there’s rarely a genuine wow factor. There is very little on display that really stands out from what can be seen in big tops up and down the land. When the story calls for explosive action, Björfors and Andersson cram too much in with dazzling aerialists pitching and yawing above busy ground-based colleagues. creating a confusing and overloaded panorama. On press night, the trapeze act and the teeterboard piece both ended in very noticeable mistakes; in the latter case, the team decided to repeat the last segment while the next set of acrobats awkwardly waited in the background; whether this is a sign of general nerves or backstage shenanigans is hard to tell. 

Three scenes, though, could be classed as “Spectacular”. French artist Antino Pansa is a specialist on the soft wire (also known as the slackwire), a drooping tightrope upon which Pansa skips back and forth before throwing a handstand into the mix and then somersaulting onto a mattress. His ease on this difficult equipment is a real treat to see, a smile permanently plastered on his face as he pulls all kinds of incredible stunts. 

I raved about Bella Diosa before, calling her the standout act from the Underbelly Soho’s inaugural show. Seeing her hanging here by her long dark hair - a very dangerous act in and of itself - while contorting this way and that into magnificent shapes is something truly special. While some of the other acts take a while to get going or run out of creative steam after a minute or two, Diosa dazzles from the off and keeps us rapt while twisting around at a dizzying speed. 

Once on the ground, she joins others in another highlight. What starts off with an acrobat being pushed on stage while sat in a bath brutally erupts into a carnival of fire as others join in, each manipulating flames in their own fashion. One twirls a baton lit at both ends; another spins flaming balls around. This is the only part of the show that displays the type of high-calibre theatrical cabaret which is the hallmark of The Box; more of this style of entertainment would have turned Come Alive! into something truly epic.

The musical elements are exciting but not exceptional. Both Bailey and Mai have voices that suit the West End far more than a circus tent and belt out the film’s hits with gusto to the audience’s obvious appreciation. A band placed above the seating and behind a sign reading “The Five Tops” provides live accompaniment throughout and a cadre of lithe dancers add some welcome pizzazz to the well known songs. The title number is repeated about four times for some reason, perhaps due to a rights issue or maybe Hammerstein considers it The Greatest Song. 

Hammerstein’s direction is creative in making use of the space. With the audience sat in the round, he ensures that every part of the room feels catered to. This is a marked improvement compared to Spiegeltent shows which, although the stage is surrounded by the audience, everything seems directed towards a small section. Having his secondary singers (Jaz Ellington, Charlotte-Hannah Jones, Whitney Martins and Fallon Mondlane) perform in the aisles gives the whole endeavour more of an immersive feel. He falls down, though, when handling the transitions between segments. Rather than switching the lighting - and, by extension, our focus - away from the stage when large equipment needs to be brought on or off, we are forced to watch the clunky manoeuvres of the stage hands. 

Come Alive! has already been extended through to March 2025 but will have serious competition soon: La Clique returns to Leicester Square next month to celebrate their 20th anniversary, Cirque du Soleil open Corteo at the Royal Albert Hall in January and touring production Cirque: The Greatest Show (another show that blends circus and songs from the film) has been “re-imagined” for a new run next year.  If the idea behind Come Alive! was driven by the line “It’s everything you ever want, it’s everything you ever need/and it’s here right in front of you, this is where you wanna be”, it has on the evidence of opening night fallen some way short.

Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular continues until 30 March 2025.

Photo credit: Luke Tyson

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