Heyo! I figured why not share my opinion that no one asked for. I am not comparing Barnum and The Greatest Showman in this post, but if you would like me to, I'll do a post comparing the two. I am going by the original London cast of Barnum since there is a proshoot of that production. Also because this is a Michael Crawford stan blog. He'll be getting his own post soon.
Barnum, the musical, and The Greatest Showman, the film, are two pieces of media about the same man: Phineas Taylor Barnum. Or as most people know him, P.T. Barnum. For some background, he was a businessman, entrepreneur, author, politician, philanthropist and showman. He is most known as co-founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus with James Anthony Bailey. He was known as the "Prince of Humbug" and even credited with coining the phrase "There's a sucker born every minute". You can even say he is the father of freak shows.
Barnum, the musical, premiered in New York in 1980 and in London, the following year. Book by Mark Bramble, lyrics by Michael Stewart and music by Cy Coleman. The musical spans 50 years out of Barnum's life. From Joice Heth, a woman he paraded as the 161-year-old nurse of George Washington, until when he founded the B&B Circus. It depicts Barnum's relationship with his first wife, Charity Hallett Barnum, until her death. There is no mention of his 4 daughters, nor his second wife, Nancy Fish. There is a whole song given to General Tom Thumb - who's real name was Charles Stratton. As well as a "cameo" of Jumbo the elephant. The show also includes Jenny Lind.
The show implements circus acts and performances throughout, weaving them into the performance. There are clown performers and acrobats. Tightrope walking, stilts, fire tricks, and trampolines were included along with so much other circus related things. It's such a fun show to watch.
The Greatest Showman came out in 2017. Original songs written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. The film stars Hugh Jackman as Barnum. It includes his wife, Charity and two of his daughters. The film focuses more on the people Barnum worked with during his freak show days, including Charles Stratton and Chang & Eng Bunker - known as the Siamese twins. This film is a much more stylized and fictional version of Barnum's life. Philip Carlyle, played by Zac Efron, is a fictional character, but he is based on James Anthony Bailey. Also the way Jenny Lind is portrayed plays into the alleged affair between Barnum and Jenny Lind.
It's not a biopic, just inspired by Barnum. The film took a lot of artistic liberties. Which is fine. It's a great film. It is genuinely one of my favorite movie musicals. The soundtrack is really good and I am excited to see if they turn it into a stage show. I wrote about The Greatest Showman back in 2018, which you can find here.
NOW why do I prefer Barnum over The Greatest Showman? Barnum is so much more fun to watch. The circus acts implemented are entertaining to watch. The music is bright and catchy for the most part. I think that The Greatest Showman's music is great for a younger generation of musical fans. But for me who is a sucker for overtures and classical musicals, I just prefer Barnum.
In my opinion, Barnum is the perfect musical about PT Barnum. The man lived a very colorful life and I feel it captures that aspect better than The Greatest Showman. When they finally put The Greatest Showman on stage, it won't be as exciting to watch as Barnum. Plus as someone with a special interest in Charles Stratton's life, you can say I'm biased because Barnum gave him his own song.
I wonder which P.T. Barnum, himself would prefer.
Comments
Post a Comment