What many films made in recent years fail to draw in both the critics and the audience and trying too hard to make a great production to please their expectations can have a seriously negative effect on the final product – even though ‘The Greatest Showman’ did not win over the critics as hoped, it won over modern audiences with its cast, script and wonderful soundtrack. Regardless of its historical inaccuracies, this is a great show, with its diverse cast of performers and the man who created the whole show from the ground up, the charismatic business mogul P.T. Barnum, portrayed by Hugh Jackman.
General audiences may not know how the real Phineas Taylor Barnum started his career as a showman, and they would all be shocked to hear he purchased an elderly slave woman named Joice Heth he claimed was the 161-year-old nurse of George Washington. There were plenty of mooncalves in the sea of people lining up to see the blind woman as she recited tales of 'old little George'. The con fell apart after her death in February of 1836. Her autopsy showed that she was no more than 80 years old. Barnum’s famous hoax went up in flames, like his museum. On January 1, 1842, P.T. Barnum became the owner of his American Museum, filled with an assortment of chronicled ancient rarities, aquariums, a menagerie of exotic animals, curiosities, and freak shows. Barnum started displaying his bearded lady (genuine name Annie Jones) when she was 9 months old as the 'Infant Esau'. He enrolled Charles Stratton, or “General Tom Thumb” when he was 4. On July 13, 1865, the American Museum was devastated by a fire, and few people mourned its passing while others cheered. Barnum re-opened the American Museum in an alternate area, yet it soon caught fire in 1868. Barnum later set his sights on starting the ‘Ringling Bros. And Barnum & Bailey Circus', for which he is remembered.
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Be that as it may, if audiences headed out to see this film expecting Hugh Jackman to deliver a faithful depiction of Barnum, they were in for disappointment. Yet, that is not why audiences came to theatres to see the original musical. Some viewers felt differently about the film, and they recommended it to others, but every viewer had something to say about the musical.
Could it have been the acting that made audiences leave with smiles on their faces after the credits, or was it worth it for the music? Well, fan covers of the songs from the film are all over the Internet, and most audience reviewers said the music is more enjoyable than the film. If there were viewers in the audience who were familiar with songwriters Pasek and Paul’s work, they just knew the music was going to be killer.
‘This is Me’ by Keala Settle, who plays the role of the bearded lady, tells us that you are brave and can be who you are meant to be. Settle really shows her character’s emotions through her singing and determination reigns heavily in her voice. Together, she and the rest of the performers dance in unison choreography, while people stand outside the showhouse, holding up signs with ‘no more freak shows’ written on them. Together they sing: “But I won't let them break me down to dust/ I know that there's a place for us/For we are glorious”.
‘The Other Side’, a duet between Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron, who plays the role of Philip Carlyle, in which Jackman’s P.T. Barnum is attempting to persuade Philip to join his traveling circus (“Don't you wanna get away from the same old part you gotta play/ 'cause I got what you need, so come with me and take the ride/ It'll take you to the other side”), was fun and entertaining to watch.
‘The Greatest Show’ set the tone for the film, with a flash of colorful lights and a giant musical number, featuring the whole cast of Jackman’s Barnum’s circus. Opening with the audience stomping their feet in rhythm to the beat, Jackman’s Barnum sang: “Ladies and gents/this is the moment you've waited for/ Been searching in the dark, your sweat soaking through the floor/ And buried in your bones there's an ache that you can't ignore/ Taking your breath, stealing your mind/and all that was real is left behind” before the circus comes alive.
The main message in the P.T. Barnum-inspired musical is that it doesn’t make a difference what your identity is or where you are from. You should be who you are. Also, that you must have faith in yourself. There will be good and bad times, however, you must keep the faith.
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