There is plenty to admire in the Menier Chocolate Factory’s new production of Cy Coleman’s circus musical Barnum: sinuous young acrobats, a decent band, good singing from the lead ladies and tremendous energy in a staging which crowds almost 20 actors on a tight, central floor space with raised circus ring.
The one thing the show lacks — big snag — is a convincing central performance. Where the vital figure of showman PT Barnum should be, we have the underpowered, undertalented Marcus Brigstocke.
Barnum! This guy should be mercurial, dynamic, on the edge of crazy, all sparky and full of zest for life. He should be an impossible husband, an irrepressible enthusiast, a wisecracker able to turn his hand to anything — and certainly never given to self-doubt.
