It is being heralded as the next great musical, following the storming success of La La Land last year, but The Greatest Showman has received mixed reviews from critics around the world. However, box-office takings show that The Greatest Showman is a firm audience favourite.
The musical details the huge gamble taken by P.T Barnum in bringing his circus to the mainstream, and takes a closer look at some of the star acts in his Barnum show. Hugh Jackman stars as P.T. Barnum and Michelle Williams features as his wife, Charity Barnum. Childhood fans of High School Musical will be happy to see Zac Efron singing once again as Jackman’s young protégé, Phillip Carlyle.
Around 9 months before The Greatest Showman was due for release, Barnum’s Circus stopped touring at the beginning of 2017, after having toured for some 146 years. Both Barnum and the circus have had a lasting effect upon popular culture and Barnum has inspired similar shows around the world. There have been several film adaptations of Barnum’s life, as well as the 1980 musical Barnum which received much critical acclaim. The world of gaming has also been influenced, with for example slot machines inspired by characters based on Barnum’s circus. One such slot game is The Twisted Circus, which is available at 32Red, a site reviewed and praised by nodeposit.ca for its no-deposit bonus offers.
The Greatest Showman‘s strength lies in its music. Billed as an inspirational and optimistic hit, the music and lyrics were composed by writers from La La Land, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who were also responsible for the lyrics of City of Stars, and La La Land‘s epic Oscars sweep. Whilst there are rousing group numbers in The Greatest Showman, there are also touching moments of solo and duets which add a soft quality to the film. However, don’t expect traditional show tunes. Zac Efron and Zendaya’s circus duet has more in common with an early noughties club tune than with Broadway. However, Never Enough, sung by Rebecca Ferguson’s character Jenny Lind is a departure from the more poppy melodies of the rest of the film. The rousing ballad feels as though it would be at home on an Adele album. The vocals are actually provided by Loren Allred and not Ferguson herself, a change that was made in post-production.
Hugh Jackman has been praised for his musicality, and his inspiring performance as Barnum, leading the ensemble track, From Now On. His musical theatre background lends a gravitas to the role, and lifts the track from resembling the poppy numbers of the rest of the film. Jackman fits the role of Barnum so well that it will come as no surprise that Jackman has been trying to get The Greatest Showman made for nearly a decade, in an environment where the audience isn’t used to having to attune its ear to new musicals. However La La Land changed this and paved the way for a new great musical era, to which Jackman adds his legacy.
The Greatest Showman is breaking box office records around the world, and many are falling in love with its music. Whilst it might be inspirational and a visual treat, the film is very loosely based on the life of Barnum and represents a fantasy escape into the world of early American entertainment, attempting to explain why we might be interested in the array of reality television which is on offer today.
