Hugh Jackman Michelle
Williams Zac
Efron Rebecca
Ferguson Paul
Sparks Zendaya
This is about P.T. Barnum’s early years in the
beginnings of his productions. It
shows him as a young underprivileged boy needing to scramble even to feed
himself, but with such an optimistic outlook, you know that in the glory days
of 19th Century America, he is likely to succeed. He’s even able to win the heart of
Charity Hallett (Williams), to the horror of her wealthy parents.
As an entrepaneur, Barnum (Jackman) starts with
purchasing a wax museum of historical figures, but moves on to real people who
are distinguished by their unusual appearance (height, weight, etc.) or
identity (gender race), then adds live performances, and eventually renames his
production a circus. Barnum is an open-minded, accepting
person and is shocked when the circus elicits strong criticism and outright
demonstrations from the public, some objecting on the basis of exploitation of
the performers, and some because of frank prejudice against them.
But with the help of his production manager
Phillip Carlyle (Efron), Barnum perseveres, and even engages the legendary
Jenny Lind (Rebecca Ferguson), known for having “the voice of a nightingale”
for a contracted number of appearances.
The production becomes a huge success, and by this time, he lives with
his wife and two daughters in a mansion.
Trouble begins to appear when he makes plans to go on tour, but he
doesn’t anticipate the furor in mainstream America against what they would call
“freaks”, the downturn in the economy, and disagreements with Lind. Soon, Barnum is in the deepest trouble
he has ever been in.
This is a musical with lyric tunes and
choreographed dancing. The stars
Jackman, Williams, Efron and Ferguson have beautiful voices, and the music is
lyrical with catchy tunes by John Debney, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, and Joseph
Trapanese, two of whom (Pasek and Paul) composed the lyrics for La La Land. Hugh Jackman and Michelle Williams are accomplished actors
who manage their roles very well, as do Zac Efron and Rebecca Ferguson.
The production has been criticized for giving a
rather white-washed view of Barnum.
I gather from a cursory reading on the internet that he was a very
complex person with both an admirable and questionable history. He was a talented, convincing
salesman—as depicted in the film—but sometimes went beyond strict
truthfulness. Business and making
money seemed of paramount importance, and he was successful in this; but he was
also an author, publisher, and philanthropist, giving large donations to Tufts
University, property for a city park, and while mayor of Bridgeport, CT, he
helped to improve the water supply and install gas lights in the streets. In defense of his heavy-handed
marketing, he said, “I don’t believe in duping the public, but I believe in
first attracting then pleasing them.”
Although he did use black-faced minstrels in his shows—not uncommon for
the time—while he was in the Connecticut legislature, he defended the 13th
Amendment to the Constitution and advocated politically against slavery.
I think critics should keep in mind that The Greatest Showman is not intended to
be a comprehensive look at P. T. Barnum’s life, but to offer an uplifting
musical that highlights his positive attitude and showmanship, and his
exemplification of the American spirit and ingenuity.
A musical account of the birth of
showmanship in the form of P. T. Barnum.
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