Barnum The Musical on Tour

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Last night I was invited to the Press Night of Barnum at the Birmingham Hippodrome and being a huge circus fan I grabbed Joe and we headed down there with a spring in our step ready to witness the story of ‘The Greatest Showman On Earth’!

For those who are unfamiliar with the story of Barnum, this musical shows the life of Phineas T Barnum and how he become America’s Greatest Showman with his travelling sideshow and circus with the support of his wife Chairy. Brian Conley takes on the roll of P T Barnum in this extravaganza of a musical that leaves you inspired, amazed and with a feeling only the circus can bring.

BARNUM, , Music - CY COLEMAN, Lyrics - MICHAEL STEWART , Book – Mark Bramble, Director – Timothy Shreader, Co- director – Liam Steel, Co – choreographer – Andrew Wright, Chichester Festival Theatre, 2013, Credit – Johan Persson/

With a killer cast of acrobats and amazing vocal performers this musical is just non-stop fun! With intimate audience interaction and a stand-up like quality from Conley’s narration, it sucks you in right from the word go and holds you there until the final curtain falls. The stage is brought to life with jugglers, fire eaters, trapeze acts, uni cyclists and more with a wallop of energy that just doesn’t quit.

[otw_shortcode_quote border=”bordered” border_style=”dashed”]This musical is just non-stop fun! [/otw_shortcode_quote]

Not a face on stage dropped at any point which made this show one of the most engaging I’d ever seen and by the interval my cheeks were hurting from smiling and laughing so much. With a rainbow of colours, costumes and lights Barnum is a true spectacle for the audience and it leaves you with that dizzying circus feeling throughout the whole performance.

BARNUM, , Music - CY COLEMAN, Lyrics - MICHAEL STEWART , Book – Mark Bramble, Director – Timothy Shreader, Co- director – Liam Steel, Co – choreographer – Andrew Wright, Chichester Festival Theatre, 2013, Credit – Johan Persson/

BARNUM, , Music - CY COLEMAN, Lyrics - MICHAEL STEWART , Book – Mark Bramble, Director – Timothy Shreader, Co- director – Liam Steel, Co – choreographer – Andrew Wright, Chichester Festival Theatre, 2013, Credit – Johan Persson/

Chicago meets Cirque Du Soleil, I didn’t know where to look with so many feats of incredible strength and skill taking part in every corner of the stage from the ceiling and in the aisles all tied together with a wonderful set of brass-backed verses. The whole production was impossibly slick, absolute perfection and completely faultless for me. Brian was a triumph in this role that was truly and utterly made for him – witty, engaging, incredibly talented and with a fantastic stage voice that brought the wonderfully catchy songs to life.

[otw_shortcode_quote border=”bordered” border_style=”dashed”]Brian was a triumph in this role that was truly and utterly made for him[/otw_shortcode_quote]

Scene changes were seamless with every single member of the cast throwing themselves into the roles. Andrew Wright outdid himself with the full-on choreography alongside Juliette Hardy-Donaldson’s slice of the circus. There were laughs from the audience at Brian’s captivating performance followed by gasps of horror at the incredible stunts happening right before your eyes – blink and you’ll miss one, they just don’t stop!

BARNUM, , Music - CY COLEMAN, Lyrics - MICHAEL STEWART , Book – Mark Bramble, Director – Timothy Shreader, Co- director – Liam Steel, Co – choreographer – Andrew Wright, Chichester Festival Theatre, 2013, Credit – Johan Persson/

BARNUM, , Music - CY COLEMAN, Lyrics - MICHAEL STEWART , Book – Mark Bramble, Director – Timothy Shreader, Co- director – Liam Steel, Co – choreographer – Andrew Wright, Chichester Festival Theatre, 2013, Credit – Johan Persson/The relationship between Chairy and Phineas was beautiful and bewitching, the epitome of the hashtag #RelationshipGoals. Brain and Linzi Hately’s chemistry on stage was outstanding and I loved every minute they were together – unbridled proof that behind every good man is an even greater woman! Linzi’s voice was one of the best I’ve heard on stage, it completely blew me away in every song. Linzi played the role of Chairy with ease and I adored her character as much as the man himself.

I would have loved to have delved a bit more into the story of P T Barnum, but after researching this incredible man online it’s clear why the producers for Barnum included what they did in the show – we’d be there for days telling his whole story, is there anything this amazing man didn’t do?! BARNUM, , Music - CY COLEMAN, Lyrics - MICHAEL STEWART , Book – Mark Bramble, Director – Timothy Shreader, Co- director – Liam Steel, Co – choreographer – Andrew Wright, Chichester Festival Theatre, 2013, Credit – Johan Persson/

BARNUM, , Music - CY COLEMAN, Lyrics - MICHAEL STEWART , Book – Mark Bramble, Director – Timothy Shreader, Co- director – Liam Steel, Co – choreographer – Andrew Wright, Chichester Festival Theatre, 2013, Credit – Johan Persson/We left the theatre for Barnum feeling uplifted, energized, humming the tunes and chattering away about everything we’d just witnessed. If you’re looking for a fun and star speckled night out at the theatre then Barnum is your show – what a magical evening indeed!

Barnum is playing at the Birmingham Hippodrome until the 1st August 2015 and you can get your tickets from the box office here

Have you seen Barnum The Musical? What did you think?

Tweet me @xameliax or leave a comment below! #barnumontour

xax

Win a Pair of Tickets To The Bodyguard Musical!

Earlier on this year i went to see The Bodyguard Musical and I was quite simply blown away! With Zoe Birkett in the role of Rachel Marron it rocketed to the top of my favourite musicals list and I wanted to watch it all over again as soon as the curtain closed.

Next month The Bodyguard UK Tour is coming to the Birmingham Hippodrome as Alexandra Burke steps up to the plate to play the role of Rachel! The Hippodrome have given me a pair of tickets to give away to one of my lovely readers to watch the show in Birmingham on the 6th August – so if you love The Bodyguard or a bit of musical theatre, then this one’s for you!

Just enter with the Rafflecopter form below but be quick, because the giveaway ends next Tuesday the 14th of July!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

See my review of The Bodyguard Musical HERE and an interview with Zoe Birkett – I’m really excited to watch this show again and to see what Alexandra brings to the roll next month!

GOOD LUCK!!!