I waited until the end of Barnum's first week (and a bit!) at Theatre Royal Windsor before starting to record my first impressions... with the tour's national press launch not until the following week in Manchester, I considered those first ten shows as previews, notwithstanding a local press event on show four!I always feel immensely privileged to witness a show during previews... you see it in its rawest state, bursting with energy yet still feeling its way with the audience, sensing their reaction, adapting where needed and, almost invariably, emerging the stronger for it. And this production did just that ... though it was pretty darn amazing right from the start, the ending felt strangely flat. But four shows in, that had already changed and the new curtain call (which you can see below) is so much better!
Work then got in the way and it's now another two weeks later. I've since seen the show again in Manchester - so have the press and the reviews are AMAZING! (you can read them here) - and the cast have had a much deserved week off (though only two weeks into the run itself, that was of course preceded by an extremely intense month of rehearsals). This week they head to the Grand Opera House in York to wow another week's worth of audiences with this total joy of a show.
The origin of this actor-muso production of Barnum was at the tiny but beautifully formed Watermill Theatre, Newbury where it debuted in 2024 and now Bill Kenwright Productions takes it on a UK (& Dublin) tour. Leading the company in the iconic title role of Phineas Taylor Barnum for the first leg of the tour is the lovely and, may I say, extraordinarily talented Lee Mead. Taking over in the Autumn, reprising the role from its Watermill run is Matt Rawle, who I remember well from the Summer 2012 West End Men dates.
My own journey with Barnum started much earlier... way back in 1982 and its original West End production, with a certain Michael Crawford in the lead. He was incredible - we'd seen him perform some amazing stunts in Some Mothers Do Have 'Em, but after months of immersive circus training in New York, he took that to new levels, or should that be 'new heights', at the Palladium. Lee has often displayed a similar flair for physical comedy, but mastering the tightrope? That's a whole different ask.
I'll confess I was nervous, not because I thought for one moment that Lee hadn't put the work in, but because it's a one centimetre wire, six metres across, two metres off the ground with no harness, no safety net... anyone with a brain would be nervous! Did I need to be?No... like every Barnum before him, he won't make it across first time, every time, but his six months of training has taught him not only to walk the wire, but also how to dismount safely when balance goes beyond the point of no return. The pin-drop silence as he prepares to step onto the wire and the rapturous reaction when he successfully reaches the other side, show just how much the audience recognise and appreciate both the skill and the courage involved. Hats off to you, Mr Mead!
But this show is FAR more than a tightrope walk - though that is a powerful metaphor for the life that Phineas T Barnum led. Renowned as 'The Greatest Showman', in reality he often trod a precarious line between success and failure... taking risks, betting on his instincts, which didn't always work out as he planned. Lee's Barnum exudes the charisma of the showman while also capturing the truth of the man, with all his flaws and vulnerabilities.It's a beautifully nuanced performance. It's also without doubt the wordiest part he's ever played! There are patter songs to rival anything Gilbert and Sullivan ever presented, and endless dialogue besides, and though Lee claims he plays no musical instruments (having enough to do with all that dialogue and the tightrope!) I counted at least four! OK, so they're whistle, duck call, kazoo and triangle, but still!
His relationship with wife, Charity (Monique Young), has wonderful chemistry and wholly believable niggles - her exasperation with his relentless optimism generally outweighed by her admiration for his unflinching determination and her delight in his 'beauty' - I won't argue with her there! Monique gives Charity a deliciously knowing humour and a quiet enduring strength that balances her husband's volatility. It's a standout performance.Also impressing, with both her comedy chops as Joice Heth and her phenomenal voice as 'Blues Singer', is Dominique Planter. Indeed this entire company is remarkable. I have ever been in awe of actor musicians who can memorise an entire score alongside their lines and actions, and this group do so immaculately, while simultaneously bringing to vivid life the many and varied characters that populate Barnum's life.
Then there are the circus performers ... a description that is hardly adequate for this troupe of six extraordinary, multi-talented performers who are not only fully integrated members of the ensemble, playing instruments when needed, bringing Oti Mabuse's choreography to vibrant life, but also sprinkle the thrill of the circus over every scene with trapeze, hoop and ribbon work, teeterboard and tumbling.There are times in this show where you simply don't know where to look - Jenny Lind (Penny Ashmore) singing her heart out centre stage, or the pair of acrobats demonstrating unfeasible strength and exquisite grace above her head! It's one of many reasons I'm glad I will see this show again. And again!
The timeline of Barnum's life is somewhat distorted in this telling of his story ... while Joice Heth was indeed his first 'investment' as a showman in 1835, with Tom Thumb (Fergus Rattigan) following a few years later in 1842, and Jenny Lind in 1850, Jumbo, who appears here with Tom Thumb (and who I was charmed to see has his own biog in the programme) in reality came much later when Barnum joined forces with James Bailey - after his political career and the death of his beloved Charity in 1873.So, if I have a small criticism of the book, it is that the compression and rearrangement of this timeline can make it hard to follow for those new to the show. My initial dissatisfaction with the somewhat abrupt ending has been happily resolved, as mentioned above and evidenced below, by tweaks to the last scene and final bows, now giving the show a fittingly celebratory finale.
If you've read this far, you'll be in no doubt how much I love this show - it's an absolute dream of a role for Lee and he has embraced all of its challenges with the same passion and self-belief that Barnum himself carried through life. The result is compelling and joyous - Phineas Taylor Barnum before our very eyes - pure magic (and a lot of hard work!). Oh, and I can't believe I've got this far without saying how glorious Lee's vocals are - he has a LOT to sing and does so superbly. So, safe to say, I wholeheartedly recommend a visit (or more!) to the circus - you will leave the theatre with a spring in your step and a song in your heart ... exactly which song may be something of a movable feast... my current favourite is 'The Colours of My Life', but that could easily change by morning! You can find the full tour schedule and booking links for Lee's run here - some venues are all but sold out, and all are selling fast, but this is a performance that no Lee fan should miss!
Published: 23/02/2026