The Greatest Showman

      

This Is Me!

    Hey guys! I'm super excited to write about this week's musical: The Greatest Showman! This is an interesting show, because it's strictly a movie musical, with no physical stage adaptation (yet!). So of course, the review will be about the movie. 

    The Greatest Showman tells a story about the life of Phineas T. Barnum, known in history for establishing the concept of circuses and for his advertising methods. I will let you know now, that Disney has put their own twist on some of the events, and the real conditions of his circus weren't as magic as the movie makes them appear. However, many details of the story are real, and seeing it brought to life on the big screen is really cool. Without further ado, may I present: The Greatest Showman!  

The Greatest Showman

The Greatest Showman

History

    After eight years of production and one year of filming, The Greatest Showman was brought to the big screen in December of 2017.  

Who's in the Cast?

    Phineas T. Barnum is played by none other than legendary actor Hugh Jackman. Michelle Williams stars as his wife, Charity Barnum (Hallett). Zac Efron plays playwright-turned-showman Phillip Carlyle, and Zendaya stars as his love interest and performer, Anne Wheeler. Singer Jenny Lind is played by Rebecca Ferguson. Other characters of notable interest include Keala Settle as Lettie Lutz, Paul Sparks as Mr. Bennett, Sam Humphrey as Charles Stratton, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as WD Wheeler, Anne's brother. 

Overview

    The story begins during a performing circus (The Greatest Show). We are transported back in time to when the protagonist, Phineas T. Barnum, is a child working for his father, who is a tailor for the wealthy. He tells his childhood friend, Charity Hallett, about a world he dreams about and wants to create for them someday. The two grow up together, fall in love, and have children. They don't have much, but they are happy together (A Million Dreams). Barnum is dismissed from his job after the company goes bankrupt, and he returns home, dejected at the poor life he has provided Charity, who tells him she is happy with what they have. Their children are happy as well (A Million Dreams (Reprise)). 

    Barnum goes to a bank to take out a loan, where he first meets Charles Stratton, who Barnum is intrigued with, as he is a dwarf. The bank loans Barnum enough money to buy a large, empty building in the middle of town, where he sets up a "Museum of Curiosities," which features wax figures. He and his daughters advertise on the street with flyers, but their efforts are initially futile. Barnum is inspired by his daughter to feature "things that are alive," and he decides to add "freak" performers to his show. He first asks Charles Stratton, the dwarf, to join, promising that he'll get to wear a soldiers uniform. He next discovers Lettie Lutz, a bearded lady with a beautiful singing voice. Soon after, many "freaks" are auditioning for Barnum's museum, including black flying artists Anne and W.D. Wheeler, a tattooed man, and an extremely hairy man known as "Dog Boy." He collects enough people to start a show, and he begins advertising as much as he can throughout town with large posters and exaggerated statements, and many people buy tickets to see the museum. At first, the people are just "on display" for the public to see, but they transform into putting on performances with their talents. A newspaper critic, Mr. Bennett, writes a scathing report calling Barnum's museum a "circus," and Barnum adopts the term, claiming he has created a circus that welcomes all types of people. The public loves it (Come Alive). 

    Newly wealthy, Barnum buys and redoes the mansion he and Charity always dreamed of owning. His family begins attending events for other wealthy people, and he comes across Phillip Carlyle, a playwright, who knows the plays he writes aren't entertaining, and he is unhappy in his business. Barnum recruits him to the circus to help generate publicity, although associating with the circus could be permanently damaging to his reputation (The Other Side). At the circus, Phillip is immediately smitten with Anne Wheeler, the trapeze artist. While the audiences inside the circus love the show, outside, crowds continuously gather to slander and berate the circus performers, waving torches and banners. The journalist, Mr. Bennett, writes another demeaning article, and Phillip arranges for the troupe to visit Queen Victoria at Buckingham Palace in England to help boost the reputation of the circus. While there, Barnum meets famous opera singer Jenny Lind, and recruits her to perform with him in America. Barnum is thrilled: his circus is a hit, and Jenny Lind brings in an aristocratic audience. Her moving performance wins the approval of the audience, with even Mr. Bennett applauding (Never Enough). Barnum's troupe wants to watch, but he doesn't want wealthier people to see them there, so he has they watch from behind the stage. Phillip holds Anne's hand, but when his parents notice, Phillip drops her hand, and she leaves him. The circus performers want to attend the after-party of Jenny's performance, but Barnum refuses them, due to their "freakiness." Lettie and the troupe reflect on how, throughout their lives, they have been shamed, but they are now accepting who they are and are not afraid to be themselves (This Is Me). 

    Barnum announces that he is going on a tour with Jenny. Phillip tries to change his mind, saying that people come to the show to see his crazy ideas, and that the number of protestors is growing, but Barnum dismisses Phillip's concerns and places him in charge. During a break from performances, Phillip and Anne attend a theater together. His parents once again see them together, and Anne leaves in embarrassment, despite Phillip begging her to stay. She returns to the circus to train, where Phillip tries to win her affections by telling her they can be together, despite the colors of their skin (Rewrite the Stars). Anne returns his affections, but restates that they can't be together.

    Barnum leaves for his tour with Jenny Lind, although Charity insists he doesn't need to pursue more as she is happy with what they have. She promises to always stand by him, but reflects that she feels isolated from Barnum's new, famous life (Tightrope). Meanwhile, while Barnum is having great success on tour, Phillip is struggling to keep the circus in order, with protesters actually breaking into performances. On tour, Jenny makes advances on Barnum, who rebuffs her, and she quits the tour as a result. She does once final performance, and when Barnum joins her onstage, she kisses him (Never Enough (Reprise)).

    At the circus, Phillip is struggling to make the protesters leave. The protesters start a fight with the troupe and then set the theater on fire. Barnum returns home from the tour and sees fire carriages racing towards the circus building. Phillip is making sure all of the performers escaped, but realizes Anne is still inside and dashes back into the burning building. Anne runs out from the back, and Barnum runs in after Phillip and saves him, although Phillip is badly injured. The building, engulfed in flames, collapses. Anne visits Phillip in the hospital, and finally allows herself to love him, seeing how devoted he was to her. The two share a kiss. 

    At the ruins of the circus, Barnum is visited by Mr. Bennett, who tells him that the thugs who started the fire were arrested. He shows Barnum a newspaper article depicting the kiss between Barnum and Jenny Lind, and outlining Jenny's parting. Barnum returns home, where Charity announces she's going to return to live with her parents. The bank has repossessed their mansion; Barnum is broke. Barnum, dejected, heads to an empty bar for a drink. His troupe joins him. Lettie tells him that although all he cared about was making money, he brought people together who had felt ashamed their whole lives; he built a family for them with the circus. Barnum promises to not lose sight of what's important in life (From Now On). He returns to the home of Charity's parents, and apologizes to her for everything. 

    Back at the remains of the circus, Barnum announces to the troupe that no banks will loan him money. Phillip tells him that he's been putting a part of every paycheck into savings, and he will pay to help rebuild the circus, as long as Barnum makes him a full partner in the show. Barnum accepts. With the building in ruins, they decide to purchase a large tent on a plot of land, which is the birth of iconic circus tents. Barnum has Phillip take over the day-to-day of the show, and Phillip takes his place performing (The Greatest Show (Reprise)). 

    

Thoughts

    I loved this film. Not only was the acting and story great, but the message behind the film is incredible. I think it's super important to show kittens that everybody has a place in the world. I could watch this show over and over, and not get tired of it. This is Me. What a powerful song. It spreads a message that you shouldn't be afraid or ashamed to be who you are, but rather embrace and be proud of yourself, even when others try to bring you down.  It also tells you that by accepting who you are, you'll find people who love you for you. I think it's necessary to teach people the importance of self-love and acceptance, and showing it through the form of an incredible movie is fantastic. 

    In terms of performance, I think Hugh Jackman was an excellent choice for the demanding role of P.T. Barnum. He was able to deeply portray the emotions of a boy born into poverty, to always wanting more, and the too-late realization that what he had was enough. You truly feel like you're watching a personal journey, not just an actor on a screen. Another notable performance was that of Keala Settle. Essentially the leader of the "freaks" as the bearded lady, Settle really enforced the idea of self-love. Her character, Lettie Lutz, had development from being scared to be seen in public, to boldly walking the streets celebrating her uniqueness. And her VOCALS. Overall, Settle put on a fantastic performance, one that people can look up to. 

    This movie is truly for all ages. The message of being true to yourself is applicable to all ages. There's no inappropriate graphics or scenes, making it suitable for young kittens. It is a family-oriented show, but in reality, people of all types can find a meaning and message in the film. I encourage you to watch this movie as soon as possible, whether you've seen it before or not, because it's important to enforce its empowering message often. 

    Finally! A movie with cats! In the last scene, during the big circus performance, there are two featured lions. You can also hear a lion growling on the soundtrack at the beginning of The Greatest Show. Sure, they're not a big part of the film, but they're there. And since so many other musicals have had NO cats, I'll take any representation I can get. Yay!

Ratings

Find the rating scale here.

Soundtrack          ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Acting                  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lighting               ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Set                        ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Overall                 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cat rating             ⭐⭐

Best song: Come Alive

Best actor: Hugh Jackman

Best set: The circus

Fun Facts!

• The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the real show developed by Barnum, closed down in early 2017, after over 140 years of performances.
• The Greatest Showman is the fifth-highest-grossing live-action movie musical of all time. 
• Zendaya took trapeze lessons to build her strength for filming; she performed all of her own stunts for the film. 
• There have been discussions and a little bit of work on a sequel to The Greatest Showman, but nothing has been officially decided yet.