Should there be a BARNUM revival?

[BobbyBubbi]

Posted: 7/4/14 at 2:21am

Was watching some clips of the recent 2013 Chichester Festival Theatre Revival with Christopher Fitzgerald, and it looked great!

Has anyone seen the show (either the original or West End)?

Has there ever been plans to revive this on B'way?

[mjohnson2]

Posted: 7/4/14 at 2:44am

The Chichester festival one was god awful, but I would totally be in for a revival if it were similar to the original.

[Princeton Returns]

Posted: 7/4/14 at 3:01am

No it wasn't god awful! Yes it was a smaller scale than the original, but what do people expect in Chichester?!

The problem is the show itself, decent songs but the book is almost non existent

[nicnyc]

Posted: 7/4/14 at 3:03am

Would love to see it revived with NPH playing Barnum - with his talent for magic, it could be really cool.

Updated On: 7/4/14 at 03:03 AM

[Nickhutson]

Posted: 7/4/14 at 3:32am

Cameron tried to get NPH to do it - and he simply didn't have the time with How I met your Mother. I am sure Cameron will keep trying.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/4/14 at 8:09am

I saw the original, and although Jim Dale was on vacation, Tony Orlando (yes, he of "Dawn") was spectacular. (of course, I was only 16 or so at the time.)

I would love a revival. Not so sure about NPH, Barnum wasn't a magician, he was a showman and promoter.

I would love to see Hugh Jackman take this on, if it "needs" to be a star.

[mamaleh]

Posted: 7/4/14 at 8:29am

Barnum was an showman-impresario, not a magician.

Yes, yes, yes to Jackman, who can truly enact a character besides giving a slam-bang energetic performance. But unless he's changed his mind, he has said in interviews that he's more interested in new material than revivals. Maybe a revisal? The book could use one.

Updated On: 7/4/14 at 08:29 AM

[sparepart973]

Posted: 7/4/14 at 9:37am

I thought the Chichester version was boring and old fashioned. I have to disagree about scale, I thought the scale was just fine. In fact I thought all it had was something visual to offer (I'm personally not into circus and acrobatics so I didn't care for it), but there is little to no book and the plot is quite uninspiring.

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 7/4/14 at 9:58am

Anyone planning to revive it had better revive David Mitchell's joyously beautiful sets as well. They weren't so much about the circus as a gaslit homage to 19th century theaters that served the play perfectly. Most of the rough spots in the libretto were smoothed over with visual treats in the original production-- skip those and you have a pretty thin evening.

[jo]

Posted: 7/4/14 at 10:04am

Hugh Jackman has a movie musical project in development about PT Barnum, called THE GREATEST SHOWMAN ON EARTH. It is doubtful that he would be interested in a revival of the stage musical.

[MaddieBB12]

Posted: 7/4/14 at 10:05am

Ironically, I was just coming on here to ask advice for my BARNUM audition next week. I also think there should be a revival--with some MAJOR rewrites and a really strong cast.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 7/4/14 at 4:52pm

The only reason I'm going to see the UK tour is because of Linzi Hately.

[Scripps2]

Posted: 7/4/14 at 5:18pm

I saw the original West End production with Michael Crawford who gave a good performance as Michael-Crawford-doing-some-acrobatics-and-circus-tricks. The sets and the score were the main reason to see the show and the most enjoyable things about it. There was a round of anticipatory applause when the audience thought they were going to see Jumbo, and then groans of disappointment when they saw the concertina-cardboard legs.

The only reason I'm not going to see the UK tour is because of another TV-star-doing-circus-tricks in the title role.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 7/4/14 at 5:27pm

Yes

Even though Jackman in no way resembles Barnum, he would be a great choice who would sell a gazillion tickets.

Saw Dale in the original and it is amazing it has never been revived.

[keithp]

Posted: 7/4/14 at 5:50pm

Conley may be a TV star but before he was a TV star he cut his teeth in variety (pretty good experience for a role like Barnum and not unlike Jim Dale). He has also done several musicals - Me and My Girl, Oliver! and Jolson (a terrific performance). He has a great deal of theatre experience so your reasoning for not seeing it seems rather bizarre.

[SomethingPeculiar]

Posted: 7/4/14 at 6:07pm

Let Encores do it in a few years with someone like Rob McClure. Though the physicality of it would be severely limited.

[Scripps2]

Posted: 7/4/14 at 6:12pm

"He has also done several musicals"

I know.

I've seen him in some of them.

And that has informed my decision making as well.

[keithp]

Posted: 7/4/14 at 6:17pm

Fair enough but not what you said in your post. "The only reason I'm not going to see the UK tour is because of another TV-star-doing-circus-tricks in the title role."

[Scripps2]

Posted: 7/4/14 at 6:29pm

Not really - I think he gave a TV star's performance every time I've seen him.

If, however, you're trying to point out that I'm a smart-arse there's really no need. I know it and so does everyone who reads my posts.

[barcelona20]

Posted: 7/4/14 at 8:37pm

The top commercial choices to play Barnum are NPH or Jackman. The non-commercial choice is Brian D'arcy James.