Barnum at The Curve, Leicester Review
Image: Pamela Raith
Ladies and Gentleman the sprawling and striped big top of P.T. Barnum’s circus has arrived at Leicester’s Curve Theatre this week after its 2024 production at the Watermill Theatre in Newbury.
With the popularity of Disney’s ‘The Greatest Showman’ growing over the last few years, this production tells the story of P.T. Barnum, an American showman and businessman from the 1800s who also features in the well-known film.
Matt Rawle leads the cast as the dreamer and protagonist himself, along with the incredibly talented creative team which include music by Cy Coleman, Choreography by Oti Mabuse and Direction from Jonathan O’Boyle.
There is all the fun of the fair with acrobats, trapeze artists and cheesy jokes on stage from the outset and it is clear that the whole cast are exceptionally talented. A live band of musicians playing a range of 150 instruments also adds to the energy and razzle dazzle of the bright lights of Barnum’s entertainment offering in this circus musical.
Ringmaster Eamonn Cox opens the show and welcomes the audience with his elaborate costume and punchy ringmaster voice. I would have liked to see more of him throughout the production. However, speaking of punchy, the script and dialogue was not punchy enough for me and I lost interest quite quickly within the first act.
I didn’t feel invested in Rawle’s depiction of P.T. Barnum and I would have liked his relationship with Monique Young who plays his onstage wife Charity, to feel more relatable and believable. Charity says to the audience that Barnum wants to ‘give the whole world a paint job’ by inspiring them with his alternative and sometimes outrageous acts and performers, but on this occasion the circus performers themselves felt like the main character.
One of Barnum’s headline attractions is General Tom Thumb played by Fergus Rattigan, who confidently sings his solo number ‘Bigger isn’t better’ which I thought was brilliant. Dominique Planter’s rendition of ‘Thank God I’m Old’ in her role as ‘The Oldest Woman in the World at 160’ Joice Heth, was both hilarious and lively.
Families laughed out loud and enjoyed the magic of the show which included puppetry, tightrope walkers, gymnasts and stilt walkers. Penny Ashmore as Jenny Lind also brings a touch of opera to the evening’s entertainment particularly in her solo song ‘Love makes such fools of us all.’
The performers were absolutely incredible but the acting fell short and I left wanting more. The second act felt a bit pointless but rounded off the story of Barnum’s dreams intricately interwoven with his troubles.
I was disappointed as I have previously seen an alternative production of the same show at Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre and it was one of my shows of the year. This production fell short for me and with the prices of the tickets being so high I felt that an honest review was required on this occasion.
This production of ‘Barnum: The Circus Musical’ continues on its UK Tour until October as it stops at theatres including: Liverpool’s Empire, Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre and Belfast’s Grand Opera House before concluding its run at the Malvern Theatres in Malvern on 31st October 2026.
★★★
Written by Hollie for Theatre and Tonic, September 2026.
Caution: This show includes smoke, haze, gunshots, fire, loud noises, flashing lights, moments of darkness, balloons and clowns, and contains depictions of racism, slavery and the exploitation of human and animal performers in the nineteenth century entertainment industry.
