BARNUM

Barnum, with Music by Cy Coleman, Lyrics by Michael Stewart and a Book by Mark Bramble is the original musical about the life and times of 19th Century American entrepreneur and entertainer Phineas Taylor (P.T) Barnum. First performed in 1980, it was made famous in the UK when TV star Michael Crawford played the title role. 2017’s musical film ‘The Greatest Showman’ tells a similar story, but with quite different music.

The stage in the Kingswood Theatre is quite shallow but potentially very wide, which this production made great use of. The set was deceptively simple, centred with some very effective yellow and red drapes as the big top curtain with a suitable opening and star cloth across the stage behind. The two wheeled ‘Circus Cages’ looked great and were wheeled in and out of place for the Joice Heth and Tom Thumb numbers. The matching trucks at the front gave some effective levels and focal points when performances were set at the front.  Having the cast on stage at the sides for the production worked really well too in supporting the circus performance feel. It also allowed the cast to support setting the stage almost instantaneously, from the Circular rostra to the changing screen, which maintained the great pace achieved.

The lighting design and application worked really well too. There was a good variety of types used, from projection to moving heads. The colouring of the backcloth for ‘The Colours of My Life’ was delightful and some great effects were created for ‘One Brick at a Time’, ‘Come Follow the Band’ and ‘Black and White’.  I believe there was an issue with Charity’s ‘Passing’ scene - where the lighting could have helped with the story telling further. Overall though, I thought the lighting was great and a real feature of the production to me.

The sound and balance were generally very well-controlled. It was a brave but completely necessary decision to stop the show a few minutes in, due to the issue with Barnum’ microphone, though other than that the radio microphone management had excellent cueing and control. The orchestra did occasionally overpower the chorus voices In Act 2 when they were at their loudest, but on twhole this was all very well balanced. Nice work!

The costumes were of a very good standard. Barnum and Charity had an excellent range of appropriate costumes and the on-stage dressing worked well. There was an impressive range of circus costumes for the cast, from the acrobats to the clowns, trapeze artists, and backstage crew. They looked really effective when all-together. Hair and Make-up, even with a young cast were suitable for the period. Properties, where used, all seemed appropriate and of the period. Tom Thumb’s ‘big chair’ worked well.

The quality of the direction was very high. In reviewing the main principal performances (as most of the cast had their own chance to shine at some point in the production,I unfortunately cannot cover them all):

• PT Barnum. This was a confident and refined performance – your ‘fourth wall’ explanations to the audiences in-particular showed real self-assurance and stage presence. You had the poise and the charisma required for the role, with a controlled accent and diction and a strong singing voice. You acting as the base for the whole production as you were hardly ever off-stage. Very well done.
• Charity Barnum. You created a great on-stage presence and real chemistry with Barnum in acting as his conscience and challenging his ‘Schemes and Dreams’. Good dialogue and a lovely singing voice too. Well done.
• Joice Heth.  Great movement, singing and acting with a suitable older voice as the ‘160’ year old Woman. ‘Thank God I’m Old’ was a real show highlight.
• Tom Thumb.  Terrific energy, a strong signing voice and great dancing ability made your performance of ‘Bigger Isn’t Better’ a really memorable number – very well done.
• Julius Goldschmidt. Well-acted with a great stage voice and convincing accent – and you’ll learn from that prop mis-hap too!
• Jenny Lind.  A strong singing voice (as is required for the ‘Swedish Nightingale’) you certainly had, but you also had the accent and the character of the Diva and her manipulation of Barnum. Very nicely done!
• Blues Singer.. A lovely, confident and memorable vocal performance of ‘Black and White’ helped to really make this number.
• James A. Bailey. Right at the end of the show, this was confidently acted and you used your great singing voice for ‘Join the Circus’ really well.
• Ringmaster. Great projection and diction of some pretty tricky lines and good stage-presence as the Ringmaster.

The cast in the ensemble supported the production really well too. Just about everyone had some additional lines as other characters, or some set items to move or present. The discipline involved in being on-stage at the side in various positions for nearly all of the production was very impressive too!

The Choreography was a stand-out feature as well – it was high in content and complexity at times but it was well-executed from everyone, from the great opening of ‘One Born Every Minute’ right through to ‘Come Follow the Band’, ‘Black and White’ and the memorable ending of ‘Join the Circus’. What I also liked was the rotation of the dancers from front to back, so everyone had the opportunity to be at the front. The co-ordination of the of the activities needed for ‘One Brick at a Time’ needs particular mention and you successfully got to spell ‘The American Museum’ properly at the end too!  Very well done on all the choreography in this production.

The chorus singing itself was very good too, particularly when dancing at the same time. The music itself was very well put-together and controlled by the Musical Director. The seating cut-out for the band does remove the best seats in the house unfortunately, but the band and music felt literally front and centre in the production and thus became a key part of it. The quality of the orchestra’s playing was very good overall and greatly enhanced the overall performance experience.

In summary, Barnum was a great production and a really wonderful night-out. The performances, the music and the staging all worked really well and the cast and crew are to be congratulated on their achievements – which was well-received by a good first night audience too.  Thank you to the Society Members and Delia for looking after me and for Scott, George and Roy for taking the time to meet me in the interval too. It was great to see and meet the team and the show and I wish you every success with your future productions!

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