P.T. Barnum is credited with coining the phrase “there’s a sucker born every minute”, and in watching a musical about his life in a packed auditorium, you can’t help but feel he’s having a chuckle from the great beyond.
The American impresario built a career on spectacle, selling audiences everything from “the greatest show on earth” to curiosities that blurred the line between entertainment and exploitation. In Barnum, the 1980 Broadway musical with a score by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Michael Stewart and a book by Mark Bramble, that larger-than-life story brings all the fun of the fair to Cardiff.
Directed by Jonathan O’Boyle and choreographed by Strictly’s Oti Mabuse, it’s a show that rarely sits still, even if the material itself isn’t always up to the energy on stage. Decked out like the inside of a circus big top, the space is populated by an excellent ensemble of actor-musicians who don’t just sing and dance but double up as the band, picking up instruments when not performing high-wire acrobatics and other magical feats of skill.
Lee Mead, above, impresses in the title role, a charismatic ringmaster who keeps the show on the road even as everything around him, quite literally at times, burns to the ground. Opposite him, Monique Young does much of the emotional heavy lifting as Charity, grounding the story when Barnum’s ideas get a little out of hand.
Barnum himself is portrayed as a cheeky conman throughout – like a Dickensian pickpocket with a heart of gold, a devoted family man and something of a loveable rogue – with his wife acting as the voice of conscience, guiding him towards doing the right thing. While it works well on stage, it may jar with anyone familiar with the more complicated reality.
As he mourns the death of his wife, nothing is made of his remarriage just months later to a woman young enough to be his granddaughter. And he valiantly proclaims that while some call those with physical disabilities “freaks”, he thinks of them as “special” – while continuing to profit by charging the public to gawk at them.
Historical quibbles aside, Barnum is technically difficult to fault. This is a slick, colourful production with a talented cast, and there’s no denying the energy – there is almost always something happening on stage, often several things at once.
The only real issue – and it’s not a minor one – is the material itself, which is surprisingly light on “wow” moments, with a score that offers few songs you’ll be humming on the way home. Thankfully, the cast, choreography and technical execution keep the momentum going, making it an enjoyable evening.
It may not be the greatest show on earth, but it is a very entertaining one.
Until March 21
https://www.wmc.org.uk/en/whats-on/2026/barnum
Images Pamela Raith