One of the UK’s most versatile actors and performers, Brian Conley, continues his successful musical theatre career with Cameron Macintosh’s production of Barnum at Leeds Grand Theatre this week.
The musical follows the life and dreams of America’s Greatest Showman, Phineas T Barnum – a man renowned for his shameless peddling and promotional activity and credited with saying ‘every crowd has a silver lining’.
Aged 25 Barnum paid $1,000 to obtain the services of Joice Heth – a woman who claimed to be 161 years old and the nurse of George Washington; Barnum exhibited her in New York and New England earning himself about $1,500 a week. He went on to display a mermaid, Jumbo the elephant and the famous General Tom Thumb.
Barnum’s warmth and the excitement of his imagination were a force to be reckoned with and throughout his life he continued to draw in the crowds before teaming up with James A Bailey to create the ‘Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth’.
With a host of circus performers welcoming audiences into the auditorium – expect balancing acts on theatre seats and people leaping through hoops – stunning costumes, great songs and plenty of laughs from Brian Conley as the eponymous showman, Barnum is a joy for people of all ages.
Barnum is at Leeds Grand Theatre from Tuesday 14th to Saturday 25th April.
Tickets are on sale now priced from £21.50 to £48.50.
Book online at leedsgrandtheatre.com or call box office on 0844 848 27 00.
Joining Brian Conley as ‘PT Barnum’ and Linzi Hateley as ‘Chairy’ are: Kimberly Blake as ‘Jenny Lind’; Mikey Jay-Heath as ‘Tom Thumb’; Landi Oshinowo as ‘Joice Heth’ and John Stacey as ‘Ringmaster’/ ‘Bailey’. They are joined by: Georgie Ashford; Greg Bernstein; David Birch; Nick Butcher; Alison Connell; Stefan Dermendjiev; Silvia Dopazo; Chris Gage; Joanna Goodwin; Pascal Haering; Rebecca Hawkins; Erin Jameson; Courtney-Mae Briggs; Jen Robinson; Louis Stockil; Lucy Thatcher and Edward Wade.