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The Musical
"BARNUM"
Performed September
8-18, 2005
Book by Mark Bramble, Music
by Cy Coleman,
Lyrics by Michael Stewart
"Barnum's the name. P.T.
Barnum. And I want to tell you that tonight you are going to
see-bar none-every sight, wonder and miracle that name stands
for!"
Here is the show that
traces the career of America's greatest showman from 1835 to
the year he joined James A. Bailey to form The Greatest Show
On Earth. Let us begin, as BARNUM does..
OUTSIDE THE TENT where Barnum tells us he's here to defend the
'noble art of humbug' which he defines as the puffing up he
gives the truth; the coat of varnish he puts on the hard facts
of life. Whether we agree with him or not, Barnum's sure he'll
be able to sell us his bill of goods. Why? There Is a
Sucker Born Ev'ry Minute.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS as
Barnum signs up his first attraction, Joice Heth, the oldest
woman in the world. Joice turns out to be less of a draw than
he'd hoped until he tries a bit of humbug and pitches her as
George Washington's nurse. Joice is a big success and sings
the virtues of living to be 160 in Thank God I'm Old.
P.T. BARNUM VS. THE
FEMALE OF THE SPECIES, an age-old contest that pits Barnum
against his good wife, Chairy. She wants him to settle down,
run a respectable business -a clock factory for instance-and
Barnum explains that clock-making is just not the right color
for him. He tells us what he means in The Colors of My Life,
then rushes off to close a deal to build a museum at the
corner of Ann Street and Broadway to house his growing
collection of attractions. Chairy, alone, tells us about the
colors of her life.
CLOWNS! A cornucopia of them, tumbling into the main ring
as-with Chairy to guide them-they build Barnum's American
Museum -One Brick at a Time.
STEP RIGHT UP LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, says Barnum, and let me
tell you about all the wonders you're going to see inside my
museum! -Museum Song.
BARNUM VS. THE FEMALE
OF THE SPECIES, PART II. The years have gone by, the Barnums
are a bit older and a bit more successful, but their conflict
is the same. And so is their affection for each other in I
Like Your Style.
25 INCHES FROM TOE TO
CROWN! None other than Barnum's latest and most sensational
attraction, General Tom Thumb, who tells us that Bigger
Isn't Better. 
A RESPECTABLE
ATTRACTION AT LAST-one that brings great rewards and poses
great problems; Jenny Lind, the Swedish Nightingale, whom
Barnum presents in her first American concert at Castle
Garden. Jenny sings first in Swedish, then in English, and
wins the hearts of all who hear her-Barnum included-Love
Makes Such Fools of Us All.
THE HUMBUGGER
HUMBUGGED! Barnum buys his own bill of goods-well, who could
resist a Swedish Nightingale-and leaves Chairy to tour with
Jenny and put a bit of color in his own life-Out There.
OUT ON THE MIDWAY for
a Grand Patriotic Parade, when the citizens of Washington
salute Jenny Lind as she makes her first appearance in the
nations' capital-Come Follow the Band.
A SECOND MUSICAL
DIVERSION: PAYING THE PIPER, as Barnum realizes that Jenny
Lind is not for him, that he only loves his wife. He returns
to Chairy on her terms as he promises to banish color from his
life and live it in Black and White.
BARNUM VS. THE FEMALE
OF THE SPECIES, PART III. Many years later, Barnum is out of
the 'humbug' business, and Chairy is ailing. Both of them
realize how seriously ill she is, and before she leaves him
forever, they declare their love for each other by
affectionately restating their age-old quarrel-The Colors
of My Life.
BEHIND THE SCENES,
BENEATH THE MAKE-UP, as Barnum realizes that being a
respectable businessman is not for him, and even his beloved Chairy would have agreed that what he is-and will always be-is
The Prince of Humbug. THE MAIN EVENT: THE GREATEST SHOW
ON EARTH! James A. Bailey arrives on the scene, and after a
selling job that even Barnum would be proud of, convinces
Barnum at last to Join the Circus.
A PRINCELY FINAL
ATTRACTION. The tent pole comes down, the canvas is folded,
the show is loaded and ready to roll, as we hear from Mr. Phineas Taylor Barnum-himself-Final Chase and There
Is a Sucker Born Ev'ry Minute (Reprise).
"Barnum" - From October 2005 Grapevine
The multi-talented Jason Fortner starred as the world's greatest
showman in the recent Francis Wilson Playhouse production of the
musical, Barnum, which traces P.T. Barnum's career from his
humble beginnings as a sideshow promoter through the co-founding
of "The Greatest Show on Earth," The Barnum and Bailey Circus.
Jason delivered a performance filled with warmth, one-of-a-kind
charisma and true talent. That he also directed this
zestful musical boggles the mind. The exhilarating songs
by Cy Coleman and Michael Stewart were brought to life by a
capable cast of singers, dancers and acrobats all rolled into
one, and several splendid co-stars.
Of special note are Micki Schumacher, whose stately carriage and
lovely voice truly illuminated Barnum's long-suffering wife,
Chairy. The ringmaster, fired with energy and wide-eyed
wonder by Fred Schumacher, kept the show moving with his welcome
announcements. Donna Grabill displayed a pitch-perfect
operatic voice in her brief turn as the Swedish Nightingale,
Jenny Lind. Among the uniformly first-rate chorus members,
Scott Hamilton who brought down the house as Tom Thumb, singing
Bigger Isn't Better deserves singular notice for his magnetism
and talent. As I told him after the show, "You're going to
be a star," Mark Bramble's dialogue is often funny and
sometimes moving (Okay, I admit it. I cried more than
once.) and the actors managed that precarious shift with ease.
The onstage band, directed by musical director Jason Tucker,
handled the unforgettable and often lightening fast songs with
the ease of a Broadway pit orchestra. Barnum is a rare
show where the set is really a member of the cast and set
designer Jim Demetrius and his crew deserve special acclaim for
a colorful, interesting and ultimately, super-functional set.
In short (a little late for that, I guess), this first excursion
back into the wonderful world of Tampa Bay community theatre for
my wife Lori and me was a resounding success. --L. Crews
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