Barnum The Circus Musical At Birmingham Hippodrome Review

DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW

Reviewed by Lindsay Burton

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages—Barnum rolls into town with a bang, a banner, and just enough ballyhoo to make you believe the impossible.

Last night, we had the privilege to watch Barnum the Circus Musical at Birmingham Hippodrome. The film The Greatest Showman is one of my favourite films of all time, so I was excited to see if this was at all similar in any shape, way or form to what I know the Greatest Showman to be.

And it did not disappoint. From the very first second, you are treated to such a spectacular sight that you have no idea where to look! The show explodes into life like a circus parade, with P. T. Barnum striding into the spotlight as ringmaster, whipping the audience into attention with a flourish of music, movement, and mischief. From acrobats on aerial swings to contortionists and all manner of performers moving around a very planned space on stage, it was a feast for the eyes.

Lee Mead (PT Barnum) has a unique presence on stage and, together with Monique Young (Charity Barnum), makes a formidable lead pair in this production. Their relationship (and her patience) is absolutely tangible as she puts up with constant dreaming of the spectacular and bright colours, striving to entertain and wow the crowds at any humbug cost.

The story sees PT Barnum journey through the weird and wonderful, seeking the most special of them all to entertain and add to his show of the phenomenal. After disaster strikes, he is almost driven to try harder and seek further. Enter Jenny Lind (Penny Ashmore). The Swedish Nightingale wows the crowds and sells out shows months in advance. Barnum enjoys and lives the success of a tour but eventually realises the cost of his newfound fame.

Now, we must talk about the vocals. Wow. Just wow. Every single actor on stage absolutely brought their part to this production, and the vocals just raised the bar to the next level. Monique Young and Lee Mead were fabulous as one would expect from the lead characters in a musical. Penny Ashmore, the opera singer, absolutely smashed her role with such a beautiful gift and ability. The lead characters are all so very talented; it was such a delight to hear the songs that were mainly unknown to my guest. If they weren’t signing, they were playing an instrument – in many cases, both and more than one instrument during the course of the show.

The entire cast contributed to the success of this production. Dominique Planter, Fergus Rattigan, Elena Bluck, Gianpaolo Candelaria, James Gill, Jessica Jolleys, Eamonn Cox, Kevin Oliver Jones, Emm Jane Morton and Sophie Precious Muringu all made this brilliant production bring the story of PT Barnum to life.

Barnum The Circus Musical is currently on at Birmingham Hippodrome and will be showing until the 25th of April 2026. Tickets start at £25 and can be purchased from here.
We rate this show 5/5 and would recommend it to all who enjoy busy, colourful theatre with fabulous toe-tapping musical numbers. 

Rating: 5/5