Back in 2017, The Greatest Showman opened in cinemas to mixed reviews and a box office that was nothing to get excited about.
But word of mouth soon spread that the Hugh Jackman-led PT Barnum original musical was a hidden gem.
Suddenly fans were attending multiple singalongs as the film hit No 1 in February after its December release, the first film to do so since Titanic.
Yet the real success story beyond the box office was the movie’s soundtrack which matched The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band as the album that has spent the sixth most time at No 1 across 28 non-consecutive weeks.
Following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox, it was only a matter of time before The Greatest Showman stage musical was announced and now it’s set to premiere in the UK in just a few months time.
Tony award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, Aladdin, Hercules) is directing and choreographing the upcoming show. Meanwhile, Oliver Tompsett (Wicked, We Will Rock You) and Samantha Barks (Les Mis, Frozen) have been cast as leads PT Barnum and Charity Barnum.
Tompsett said: “Roles like this don’t come along very often, so it’s an absolute privilege to be taking on this incredible character in the original company of The Greatest Showman.”
Barks added: “I’m thrilled to be rejoining the Disney family to play Charity Barnum. There is something utterly magical about The Greatest Showman – the songs have become instant classics.”
Joining the cast are Lorna Courtney, Ben Joyce, Vajèn van den Bosch and Malinda Parris, with performances beginning March 15 through May 10 at the Bristol Hippodrome. Rumour has it The Greatest Showman will then transfer to the West End’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane around late 2026. Birmingham Hippodrome pre-sale tickets begin November 4 and you can sign up for them here.