WELL before the smash-hit musical film ‘The Greatest Showman’ there was another musical based on the life of the legendary 19th century American Showman Phineas Taylor Barnum.

‘Barnum’ opened on Broadway in 1980 – 100 years after PT Barnum began his biggest and final circus tour – and starred Jim Dale in the title role with Glenn Close as his wife Charity.

At the time, ‘Barnum’ was ground-breaking,combining traditional musical theatre with spectacular circus routines as it charted the rise, fall and rise again of the self-proclaimed ‘greatest showman’.

The show ran on both Broadway and in the West End for several years and garnered many awards.

Picture by Pamela Raith Photography s

Although ‘The Greatest Showman’ and ‘Barnum’ both follow the same story, there the similarities end – the former has bigger, more memorable production numbers and spectacular special effects that simply cannot be re-created on stage.

This ‘Barnum’ touring production does not seek to compete, but is stripped back, with the hard-working and talented cast taking multi-tasking to new heights – singing, dancing and between them playing over 150 musical instruments, whilst also juggling, tumbling and swinging froma trapeze!

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The set creates a ‘theatre-in-the-round’ effect – almost a mirror image of the auditorium, especially fitting for The Hippodrome, which itself started life as a ‘theatre of varieties and indoor circus’ in the 1890s.

The cast take every opportunity to remind us this is a circus – set changes are turned into an acrobatic routine and there seems to be an almost constant aerial display, sometimes to the point of distracting from the action.

Picture by Pamela Raith Photography s

Whilst competent and impressive, the acrobatics lacked the finesse needed to really ‘wow’.

You’ll see more impressive circus acts in The Hippodrome’s annual pantomime.

West End star Lee Mead takes on the role of Barnum and does a competent job, his voice switching easily from belting out the big numbers such as ‘Come Follow The Band’ to the gentler, more soulful ‘The Colours Of My Life’.

However, for me he lacked the exuberance and outlandishness that made the real Barnum such an enigma.

Mead is perfectly matched by Monique Young as his long-suffering – yet ambitious – wife Charity, but there is a lack of connectivity between them, so the breakdown of their relationship feels unreal.

Penny Ashmore as ‘Swedish Nightingale’ Jenny Lind who turns Barnum’s head and heart, gives a note-perfect display of the vocal range that made the original Lind world-famous.

Fergus Rattigan as Barnum’s crowd-pleasing attraction 25-inch tall ‘General Tom Thumb’ is an enchanting and hilarious (though faintly uncomfortable) watch and Dominque Planter as ‘the world’s oldest woman’ Joice Heath has a soulful, bluesy voice that is reminiscent of Birmingham’s own Ruby Turner.

In truth, the script is limited, glossing over some of the most important moments in Barnum’s career, which largely happen off-stage.

Picture by Pamela Raith Photography s

The dialogue is prosaic and the American drawl means it takes time to tune into the language patterns, making it difficult to follow the narrative and set-up at the start.

It all feels a bit clunky and disjointed, with often so much going on in the background that you miss the key narrative points.

This Barnum may not be ‘the greatest showman’ but it is nonetheless an entertaining watch for a couple of hours.

Barnum is on at Birmingham Hippodrome until Saturday, April 25. Click here for times, tickets and more information.

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Johannah Dyer for Euan Rose Reviews