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Barnum follows the glittering world of Phineas Taylor Barnum, delving into the weird and wonderful, meeting interesting characters along the way with musical numbers to help tell the story. It's the perfect mix of musical and circus.
Noah Marescaux is fabulous in the role of Barnum, a real star in the making. He wowed the audience from start to finish. He delivered an outstanding performance dazzling us with sprinklings of circus tricks throughout the show from juggling to walking across horizontal ladders! Marescaux is surrounded by a very strong cast all of whom shone and stood out in their individual roles. Georgia Bloxham is very elegant in her portrayal as Mrs Barnum, she glided through some lovely dance routines and had a great pace to her delivery. Oliver Richardson as the Ringmaster/Bailey provided strong narration throughout the show and had a fantastic stage presence. The role of Jenny Lind was performed by Ophelia Omerod who really stood out to me. I was very impressed with her vocals, she sang ‘Love Makes Such Fools Of Us All’ beautifully with exceptional control. I can definitely see her going far in the performing industry.
The set in my opinion was simplistic but fantastic. It looked like backstage of the circus with small pieces of set being brought on in very swift scene changes to show different locations. The costumes were wonderfully colourful, as you might expect to see at a circus. I did enjoy the change in costume just after the second act to show Mrs Barnum taking control making things more 'Black and White'. I loved the use of spotlights throughout the show, similar to the spotlights you may see on acts at the circus, focusing of specific characters during their songs.
The director, Ashley Davis, has done a incredible job. I thoroughly enjoyed the presence of the whole cast onstage throughout the performance as well as many of them multi-rolling acts from the circus as well as characters from Barnum's life.
From the beautifully produced programmes to the staging, costumes and the brilliant live orchestra this youth theatre in my opinion was on par with any professional company. It had everything. There was stilt walking, magic tricks, pyrotechnics (which made me jump every time!) and some lovely full cast dance numbers. It was clear to see that every member of the youth theatre from youngest to oldest had put so much work and effort into the show. The talent was above any amateur production I've seen and I thoroughly enjoyed every second. This show was far from 'humbug'!
Reviewer - Bethany Suthers
on - 30/10/19
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