“Ladies and gents, this is the moment you’ve waited for” The Greatest Showman takes on the West End 

The Greatest Showman is coming to the West End! After a hugely successful run at the  Bristol Hippodrome, the musical is being updated and moving to the London stage. Grossing  over $400 million as a film, the story has been hugely popular. Its message of hope, grit, and  staying true to oneself has stuck with its viewers, and there is plenty of excitement from its  audience at its rightful place being taken in the theatre. Casy Nichola, award-winning and critically acclaimed director, is leading the show’s pilgrimage to London as its director and choreographer, along with writer/composers Benj Pusek, Justin Paul, and children’s author Tim Feaderle. It seems a fitting movie to be adapted for the stage as it takes place within the world of ‘show biz’. This was a long time coming. 

The team leading the stage show does not disappoint, with musical stars Olivier Tompsett and Samantha Barks taking on the lead roles

The story follows Jack Barnum and his wife as Barnum aspires to run his own circus, loses and finds himself, and creates the wonderful circus troop he works with. The film itself had mixed reviews and a slow success but a long lasting one. Many people still love the film today, over five years after its original release, a true testament to the music, plot and direction of the film. This was no doubt aided by its star-studded cast including Hugh Jackman, Zendaya and Zac Efron. The team leading the stage show does not disappoint, with musical stars Olivier Tompsett and Samantha Barks taking on the lead roles of PT Barnum and his wife Charity respectively. 

The Greatest Showman will now join the ranks of The Lion King, Mary Poppins and Hercules as a Disney Theatrical Group production. Having a huge presence and budget it is likely that this will be another hit. The Disney Theatrical Group provides entertainment in 50 countries for over 20 million people a year, attracting huge audiences from Disney kids and adults all around the globe. Telling stories whose characters are already loved worldwide obviously has its advantages, however, it will have a high bar to reach, with The Lion King being named the most successful production of all time by the BBC. In America, it has claims to Broadway’s third longest run and many hit songs. Like many Disney Theatrical Productions, the musical is unique in its position given that it begun on the screen, which provided it a security blanket.  

This will hopefully help The Greatest Showman to mimic the success of productions such as The Devil Wears Prada and Mean Girls, both of which have their own cinematic doubles. The Devil Wears Prada also had its roots in Hollywood, starting as both a book and film in 2006. When it was reimagined for stage, the story already had an adoring audience due to the film being a classic 2000s ‘chick flick’, grossing $26.6 million during its theatrical run. When the musical came to the West End it was a huge commercial success. The Greatest Showman has the same potential to be a huge success given that it has a small cult-like following and many more fans of the film. However, this comes with huge pressure and expectation, hopefully it doesn’t disappoint.  

The live circus element of the musical seems to be another ambitious feature which Disney Theatrical Group is aiming to use in their shows 

The live circus element of the musical seems to be another ambitious feature which Disney Theatrical Group is aiming to use in their shows. If anyone has the resources for this to be a success, it’s them, with some of the biggest budgets in the theatre world at the moment. Circus is immensely popular in the UK, making it a clever choice from the creative team. Local circuses usually perform at fairs and fetes, and often sell out. There are also examples of large-scale circus performances which are much loved by British audiences. Cirque du Soleil is highly regarded by British audiences, as is the band Take That. If you are unsure of the connection, their currently running stadium tour is framed as a circus, with trapeze artists, acrobats, tightropes, and clowns accompanying their music. The awe-inspiring circus performances were a huge attraction of the film. Therefore, I’m sure that if done correctly, this will be the same for the musical, making it a visually stunning and exciting performance for all.  

Official dates and run times for The Greatest Showman: The Musical are yet to be released, but if you can get tickets I would highly recommend it. With a brilliant creative team, cast, and budget, it is sure to be a hit. It will be arriving in Spring 2027, so keep a look out!