Barnum, Theatre Review. Empire Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Cast: Brian Conley, Linzi Hateley, Kimberley Blake, Landi Oshinowo, Mikey Jay-Heath, John Stacey, Georgie Ashford, Greg Bernstein, David Birch, Courtney-Mae Briggs, Nick Butcher, Alison Connell, Stefan Dopazo, Lewis Easter, Chris Gage, Joanna Goodwin, Pascal Haering, Rebecca Hawkins, Erin Jameson, Jennifer Robinson, Louis Stockil, Lucy Thatcher, Edward Wade.

Welcome to the circus…for it is the only one in town in which to pay your money and marvel at the mysterious and the humbug, the mundane and the beige to be left at the door. The life of P.T. Barnum is one of such extraordinary proportions that whilst not everything can be captured on stage, the sound of joy that greets the audience and the circus acts that wander naturally throughout the aisles before the curtain has even had chance to be raised, is more than enough to satisfy the curious and the fan of Barnum.

There are shows in which the epic reaches a natural height, a level in which cannot be breached but for Barnum that level seems to be taken higher and higher as the decades have gone on. Whether in the form of Jim Dale, Michael Crawford or for 2015, the irreplaceable Brian Conley, Barnum retains that very special quality of being a show in which the eyes have to be everywhere at once and the spectacle is one of sheer exuberance.

The intense pressure that Mr. Conley must have put himself under to be able to produce the circus tricks with near consummate skill was more than worth it, for both the actor and the audience who marvelled at the talent and resoluteness to see the job through; not least of all in the display of nerve for the high wire act. It was a moment in which the audience breathed in collectively as one and didn’t seem to exhale or search for another breathe until he crossed safely to the other side. Whether this was mindful of the great performance by Michael Crawford in which he was unsuccessful in one particular notable performance will never be truly be known, but subconsciously it must play on all performers minds. If it did for Mr. Conley, then the smile on his face, that cheeky-chappie beam of delight that he wears with youthful pride, never faltered throughout the act and it was one to relish.

A show isn’t worth a dime unless the whole cast and ensemble are working together in unison. When that musical depends on skill and perfect timing for many of the stunts and acrobatic tumbles, it is even more important to get that movement and sense of occasion right. For this particular production of Barnum, the sheer exhausting nature of keeping the eyes busy on the three-ringed circus effect was more than worth it. With the beautiful haunting voice of Georgie Ashford as Swedish Opera singer Jenny Lind filling the whole auditorium of the Empire Theatre too almost gigantic proportions and Mikey Jay-Heath giving an excellent performance as Tom Thumb, Barnum still retains that sensational property and sheer magnitude to greet an audience as if it was an old friend and have them royally entertained for a couple of hours.

Thirty years after Michael Crawford wowed the U.K. as the most successful showman of all time, Brian Conley has managed to recreate the role and give it a sense of purpose once more, a testament to great casting and total commitment to a part by the entertainer.

A great night out filled with great music and endless possibilities.

Ian D. Hall