Stage: Barnum

Cameron Mackintosh helps bring Broadway’s Barnum to Chichester’s Theatre in the Park

In 1980, Phineas T Barnum opened his imagination to Broadway audiences and lit up the stage in the form of a fantastic musical. Based on the book by Mark Bramble and music from Cy Coleman, the aptly named Barnum put on over 800 performances on Broadway and then over 600 in London’s West End with Michael Crawford, who soon after went on to win critical acclaim for his role as Phantom of the Opera.

This year Mark Bramble has joined forces with one of the most powerful theatrical producers of his time, Cameron Mackintosh, to bring a revised version of the famous Barnum to Chichester’s Theatre in the Park. Mackintosh has been paramount in the success of Les Misérables, both on screen and in the West End as well as lending his creative mind to many other projects including the stunning 25th anniversary of Phantom Of The Opera at the Royal Albert Hall in 2011.

Get swept away in the magical tale of P. T. Barnum this summer as Christopher Fitzgerald plays the showman himself. Fitzgerald has previously starred as Boq in Broadway’s Wicked as well as Igor in Young Frankenstein and Launcelot Gobbo in Al Pacino’s production of The Merchant Of Venice.

Barnum tells the story of America’s Greatest Showman, his dreams and the relationship he shared with his wife, Chairy. We follow his life as he fills the world with light and colour before teaming up with J. A. Bailey to create Barnum & Bailey Circus – The Greatest Show on Earth.

Theatre in the Park, Chichester, Monday 15 July–Saturday 31 August, 2.30pm & 7.30pm, £15–£40, 01243 781312, www.cft.org.uk