Review of The Greatest Showman (2017) by Elliott D — 09 Apr 2018

THIS IS THE GREATEST SHOW! If you are looking for the biography of PT Barnum, you are going to be disappointed in The Greatest Showman. That said, you should not be disappointed in The Greatest Showman.

This show isn't about the circus. I'd go out on a limb to say it wasn't intended to be. So don't be upset if there aren't more CGI elephants and lions. The Greatest Showman isn't about circus acts.

The story is about people who don't fit in finding a place where they can. It's a story where each character makes "their place." From the performers recognizing that they are "running the night" in the Circus and that it's a place where they can say "This is Me"; to Philip and Anne finding that the impossible comes true and they can be together; to Barnum himself who finds, in watching his daughters dance that he already had everything he'd ever want and everything he'd ever need and it was here right in front of him.

The story comes together beautifully in the final number. The first time we hear "The Greatest Show" in its entirety when Barnum's hat is passed through all the main characters, back to Barnum, and finally to Carlyle.

They are all joined together in the circus where the lost get found in the crown of the circus king. THIS IS THE GREATEST SHOW!