Review "The Greatest Showman"

Plot

P. T. Barnum and his troupe perform a show at the circus ("The Greatest Show"). In a flashback to Barnum's childhood where he and his father Philo, a tailor, work for the Hallett family, he becomes infatuated with their daughter, Charity. Though Charity is being sent to finishing school, Barnum reassures her they will not be separated. The two keep in touch through letters until they meet again in adulthood ("A Million Dreams"), eventually marrying and raising two daughters, Caroline and Helen, in New York City ("A Million Dreams" reprise). They live a humble life; though Charity is happy, Barnum dreams of more.

Barnum loses his job as a clerk at a shipping company after the company goes bankrupt. Taking a risky bet, he takes out a large loan from a bank, deceiving the bank into accepting his former employer's lost ships as collateral. He uses this loan to buy Barnum's American Museum in downtown Manhattan, an attraction showcasing various wax models. Initially, sales are slow; on the suggestion of his children to showcase something "alive", Barnum searches for "freaks" to serve as performers for his museum ("Come Alive"). This attracts a large audience despite protests and poor reviews, prompting Barnum to rename his venture "Barnum's Circus".

Searching for ways to further his reputation amongst the upper class, Barnum meets playwright Phillip Carlyle and convinces him to join his venture ("The Other Side"). Carlyle is enchanted with Anne Wheeler, an African-American trapeze artist, but he hides his feelings. During a trip, Carlyle arranges for Barnum and his troupe to meet Queen Victoria. Afterwards, Barnum meets Jenny Lind, a famed Swedish singer, whom he convinces to perform in America, with him serving as her manager. Lind's first American performance is a rousing success ("Never Enough"). While Barnum gains favor with the aristocratic patrons, he begins to distance himself from his original troupe, refusing to socialize with them. Dejected, they decide to stand against their local harassers ("This Is Me").

Carlyle and Wheeler attend the theatre together one night, only to run into Carlyle's parents, who insult Wheeler's lowly status, causing her to leave. Carlyle chases her and tries to convince her that they can be together, but she rejects him despite her feelings towards him ("Rewrite the Stars"). As Barnum takes Lind on a US tour, Charity feels isolated from her husband as she stays home with their daughters ("Tightrope"). While on tour, Lind begins falling in love with Barnum, but when he refuses her advances, she calls off the tour and kisses him at the end of her last show, which is photographed by the press ("Never Enough" reprise). Barnum returns home to find his circus on fire, caused by a fight between the protesters and the troupe. Carlyle, who had tried to save Anne not knowing she had already escaped, is rescued by Barnum amid the chaos but suffers severe burns. Most of the sets and props are destroyed. Word of Lind's cancellation and Barnum's public intimacy also reaches New York, resulting in his mansion being foreclosed upon and Charity taking Caroline and Helen to her parents' home.

Depressed, Barnum retreats to a local bar, where his troupe find him there and explain that their own mothers were ashamed of them, and how unimpressed they are with him for giving up on them too, thinking that maybe he is a fraud, which causes him to realize the circus was for his friends and family rather than for himself. Meanwhile, the injured Carlyle wakes in a hospital with Wheeler by his side and they share a kiss ("From Now On").

Barnum leaves and finds his estranged wife, and they decide to mend their relationship. Faced with the financial difficulty of rebuilding the circus, the recovering Carlyle steps in, offering to use his earnings from his share of the circus's profits to rebuild it under the condition of becoming partners, which Barnum happily accepts. As rebuilding the circus in its original location would be too expensive, Barnum rebuilds it as an open-air tent circus by the docks. The revamped circus is a huge success, and Barnum gives full control of the show to Carlyle so he can focus on his family ("The Greatest Show" reprise).

The Greatest Showman cast :

·         Hugh Jackman as P. T. Barnum, an ambitious showman and entrepreneur.

·         Ellis Rubin as Young P. T. Barnum

·         Ziv Zaifman provides Young P. T. Barnum's singing voice.

·         Zac Efron as Phillip Carlyle, a playwright who becomes Barnum's partner. His character is partly based on James Anthony Bailey.

·         Michelle Williams as Charity Hallett-Barnum, the wife of P.T. Barnum.

·         Skylar Dunn as Young Charity

·         Rebecca Ferguson as Jenny Lind, a famous Swedish singer known as the "Swedish Nightingale".

·         Loren Allred provides Lind's singing voice.[8][9]

·         Zendaya as Anne Wheeler, an acrobat, trapeze artist, W.D.'s younger sister and Phillip Carlyle's love interest. Her character is partly based on Ruth Louisa McCaddon.

·         Keala Settle as Lettie Lutz, a bearded lady. She is a composite character partly based on Josephine Clofullia and Annie Jones.

·         Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as W. D. Wheeler, an acrobat and Anne's brother.

·         Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Deng Yan, a Chinese acrobat and blade-specialist.

·         Paul Sparks as James Gordon Bennett, the founder, editor and publisher of the New York Herald.

·         Sam Humphrey as Charles Stratton, a dwarf performer who is also known by his stage name, General Tom Thumb.

·         James Babson provides Stratton's speaking and singing voice.

·         Austyn Johnson as Caroline Barnum, one of Barnum's daughters.

·         Cameron Seely as Helen Barnum, one of Barnum's daughters.

·         Eric Anderson as Mr. O'Malley, a former thief whom Barnum employs at his circus to handle different tasks like manning the front of the house, selling tickets, reading the reviews, fending off the protestors, producing the posters and promotional materials, and distributing the circus posters on everything.

·         Daniel Everidge as The Lord of Leeds, a heavyweight man who is based on Teodulo Valenzuela.

·         Timothy Hughes as the Strongman, a man with enhanced strength who is based on Angus MacAskill.

·         Shannon Holtzapffel as Prince Constantine, the Tattooed Man who is based off George Costentenus.

·         Luciano Acuna Jr. as Walter, the Dog Boy who is based off of Fedor Jeftichew.

·         Danial Son and Yusaku Komori as Chang and Eng Bunker, the "Siamese Twins."

·         Jonathan Redavid as Frank Lentini, the Three-Legged Man.

·         Nick Jantz as Jeff Harris, the Juggler.

·         Kenneth Chan as the Human Cannonball

·         Martha Nichols as Woman in Gold, a woman in gold clothing with gold spots on her.

·         Jeremy Hudson as The Elephant-Skinned Man, a man who is based off of Ralph Krooner. He was credited as "Dancer Oddity #3."[10]

·         Taylor James as Blockhead, a man with facial piercing that is based off of Melvin Burkhart. He is credited as "Dancing Oddity #4."[10]

·         Chelsea Caso as Tattoo Lady, a woman covered in tattoos who is based off of Nora Hildebrant. She is credited as "Dancing Oddity #5."[10]

·         Caoife Coleman and Mishay Petronelli as the Albino Twins. They were credited as "Dancer Oddity #6" and "Dancer Oddity #7."

·         Khasan Brasilford as Albino Man, a white-haired man in white clothes. He was credited as "Ensemble Dancer #1."[10]

·         Alex Wong as Oriental Man, a man dressed in an oriental outfit. He was credited as "Ensemble Dancer #2."[10]

·         Julius Rubio as Golden Boy, a man in gold clothing with gold spots on him. He was credited as "Ensemble Dancer #2."[10]

·         Vincent-Oliver Noiseux as Devil Boy, a performer with horns. He was credited as "Ensemble Dancer #4."[10]

·         Dean Walters and Jessica Castro as the Voodoo Twins. They are credited as "Ensemble Dancer #5" and "Ensemble Dancer" #6.[10]

·         Najla Gilam as Snake Dancer, a snake charmer who is based off of Nala Damajanti. She was credited as "Ensemble Dancer #7."[10]

·         Damian Young as Mr. Winthrop

·         Tina Benko as Mrs. Winthrop

·         Gayle Rankin as Queen Victoria.

·         Will Swenson as Philo Barnum, a tailor and the father of P. T. Barnum.

·         Fredric Lehne as Benjamin Hallett, father of Charity and abusive father-in-law of Barnum.

·         Kathryn Meisle as Hannah Hallett, mother of Charity and mother-in-law of Barnum.

·         Shuler Hensley as Lead Protestor

·         James Andrew O'Connor as Fireman

Review :

Early in “The Greatest Showman,” P.T. Barnum, played with gung-ho sincerity by Hugh Jackman, says he has long served up hokum, but now wants to do more for his audience: “Just once I’d like to give them something real.”

What fun is that?

Even after the long-running circus bearing his name closed up shop this year, P.T. Barnum remains firmly lodged in the public imagination because of his gift for blurring the line between truth and fiction. When he presented the 161-year-old nurse of George Washington as a star attraction, some of his audience knew she was phony, others did not, and then there were those who did not care and went along for the ride. There’s pleasure in a good fib (spoiler alert: Santa), as well as political advantage. When compared to Barnum last year, Donald Trump responded: “We need P.T. Barnum, a little bit.”

“The Greatest Showman,” a montage sequence that occasionally turns into a movie musical, steers clear of any contemporary resonance and ignores meaty themes. The first-time director Michael Gracey achieves an aggressively synthetic style through kinetic editing and tidy underdog stories, but none of the true joy of pulling a fast one. It’s a standard-issue holiday biopic, one that tells a story about a populist entertainer hungry for highbrow respect, the joys of showbiz and the price of ambition. An amusement park version of P.T. Barnum is fine, as far as that goes, but if you are going to aim for family-friendly fun, you need to get the fun part right.

“Showman” has the ingredients of a splashy good time, since it has the perfect star in Hugh Jackman, the most charismatic Broadway leading man of his generation; and songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the acclaimed duo behind the lyrics for last year’s hit movie “La La Land” (which won them Oscars) and the music for the Broadway show “Dear Evan Hansen” (which won them Tonys). But they are all awkward fits for this material. The songs, which shift from defiant pop anthems to melodramatic ballads, do not evoke the circus, or at least not the American version. Their soupy soulfulness belongs to Cirque du Soleil more than Ringling Brothers. And while Mr. Jackman is a dashing presence with an easy smile, his earnest performance could use a few knowing winks. The script doesn’t do him any favors. Its first joke is a spit-take, and it doesn’t get any wittier than that.