Barnum!

This is one of Cy Coleman's best musicals in a stunning production. The only drawback is the shoddy DVD packaging which has no information about the cast, the songs, the production, nothing. But the DVD is a must-have for musical fans. Michael Crawford is superb as Barnum, the cast is his equal and the staging is magnificent.

I have only seen Barnum on tape and DVD and I loved it from the first moment. Michael Crawford is a splendid actor, and I wish I could have seen him in London, both as P T Barnum and as The Phantom! Everyone who loves musicals must not miss this one!!! One of the best things with it are all the things Michael Crawford does as P T Barnum. Things I didn't have a clue that he could do! It was really a big surprise and an even bigger treat. The other actors are also very talented. I love it when Sharon Benson sings the song Black and White. She has a wonderful voice and charisma. I wish there would be more musicals in the the world, but even then this would be among the top three!!!

Barnum's life turned into the greatest show on earth in a live musical performance with the extraordinary Michael Crawford. I saw this show live with Jim Dale and Glenn Close in NY. The show was breath-taking and your jaw will drop watching the video too. The performance is so fast-paced and so complex. I watch in wonder and ask myself how they could perform circus acts on a theater stage and sing wonderfully at the same time. The part of Barnum is so taxing, both physically (a variety of circus acts he takes part in) and mentally (there are several patter songs, a la Gilbert and Sullivan) that one wonders how Crawford or Dale could have performed it live eight times a week. The story is exciting, exuberant, suspenseful, hilarious and bittersweet and every performer is a consummate pro. The staging is masterful. (How do you present Tom Thumb and Jumbo the Elephant together realistically on the modern stage? Watch and find out.) This video would be great to watch with the whole family. Turn off the electric dishwasher and turn "One Brick at a Time" into a "One Dish at a Time" family dishwashing routine, though it may result in some smashed dinnerware unless you are a very coordinated family. Great music, great performances, lots of fun.

...I think it was made for British television...and it is a live performance...and it actually captures that... and it is a show full of fun and engaging performances. It is one of those shows that you enjoy and then enjoy more each time you see it.

In the early eighties my wife & I lived in Kensington and got tickets for this show for my mum & dad who were also staying with us. We arranged to pick them up after the show, meeting them in a lovely old pub to the left hand side of the theatre. I can't imagine my now being able to drive and park there now. Indeed, the pub has been demolished to make way for a development called Nova Victoria . . . So ugly it was voted the worst new building of 2017 in London.

SO - The story starts now - we were all in the pub with who should walk in but Michael Crawford with some fellow show colleagues. My mum said "I must go and tell him how marvellous he was in the show". I said "hmmm might be a good idea he looked a bit exhausted and may just want a bit of peace & quite" But mum trots over and Michael turns to my mum and I still remember seeing his lovely warm smile and he was so polite. What a generous and kind man he is.