Barnum is a musical based on the life of the great American impresario and showman P.T Barnum. It debuted on the Broadway stage in 1980 and went on to be nominated for 10 Tony awards, it won 3. The show starred Jim Dale of 'Carry On' fame, if you are from the UK, or if you are from the USA you will know him for his huge work load on Broadway and of course for his audio recordings of the Harry Potter novels for which he has won two Grammy Awards. Playing the female lead was Glenn Close who is best known for winning three Tony awards and playing the intense bunny boiler in 'Fatal Attraction'. The show, on Broadway, mixed circus skills with traditional staples of musical theatre and Jim Dale apparently walked tightropes, rode unicycles, juggled and much much more during the first run. If an actor ever worked his socks off to win the Tony it is Jim Dale! Don't believe me? Look at his performance from the Tony awards, the second number in the video, no circus tricks but the energy he expends in this excellent song is infectious.
So it was a critical success... on Broadway. Following its run on the 'Great White Way' it went on tour and without the big spectacle that a Broadway production can afford it became obvious that the show was quite hollow.
I saw Barnum in the 1990s at the Pavillion Theatre, Worthing. I believe it was 1993 or it may have been 1994, I would have been 8 years old. I remembered it as soon as I heard the opening strains of the overture. The tour I saw starred Paul Nicholas as Barnum and he was electric in the role but the play was to me, as a child, rather dull.
Saying all that, listening to the soundtrack is wonderful. It is a slice of classic Broadway with bombastic music, colourful melodies and the best of good old fashioned American style musical theatre. Some of the tunes can seem dated but this is because it is a period piece and as such is pretty timeless which is something I cannot say for the majority of Lord Lloyd Webbers musicals. I highly recommend this soundtrack on the strength of Jim Dale's charismatic and enigmatic performance. Follow the Band is amazing as a bonus track and the whole album sounds perfect for something which is now 32 years old. I have not listened to the West End version of the play soundtrack, starring Michael Crawford, but will be reviewing it at a later date. That production, produced at the London Palladium, seems to be a carbon copy of the Broadway production barring the performers of the show.
So seek out this wonderful soundtrack... and in the meantime thanks to the Comedy Theatre, Melbourne why don't we all 'Come Follow The Band'...
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