Barnum

Normally everything the Menier Chocolate Factory touches turns to awards (they are usually gold!), but something told me this was not going to be one of them. I never thought Barnum was a very good show when I first saw it over 30 years ago. The songs are unmemorable, not a great recommendation for a musical!

It relies on a barnstorming central performance, which Michael Crawford gave, and the ability to perform circus acts, which he did to great effect. For those who remember him as Frank Spencer in Some Mothers do have ‘em, it is easy to see why audiences flocked to see him perform on a tightrope.

I feared that Marcus Brigstocke, the stand-up comedian and Radio 4 regular, has neither a good enough voice nor a big enough personality to convince as the ‘Greatest Showman on Earth,’ as P. T. Barnum was known. Unfortunately, so it has proved. The show opened to very lukewarm reviews, nearly all of them citing Marcus Brigstocke as the weakness.