Roll up, roll up! The Greatest Showman announces UK world premiere
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| By
Sian McBride
(Updated on Mar 10, 2025)
Roll up, roll up - The Greatest Showman is swapping the big screen for the big stage! Yes, the musical that took over every playlist, spin class and school talent show in 2017 is finally making its way to the theatre, meaning you’ll soon be able to experience its earworm anthems in glorious, real-life surround sound. And where better for its world premiere than the UK? That’s right, we will be the first to witness the all-singing, all-dancing spectacle when it premieres at the Bristol Hippodrome next year. And surely it’s only a matter of time before a West End transfer follows…
With a score written by Oscar winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, The Greatest Showman has a book by Tim Federle (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) and direction and choreography by Casey Nicholaw (Mean Girls).
Pasek and Paul have written additional musical material for the production alongside their songs from the movie, including “The Greatest Show,” “A Million Dreams,” “Come Alive,” “Rewrite the Stars” and the Golden Globe-winning “This Is Me.”
For those who somehow escaped The Greatest Showman phenomenon, the story follows P.T. Barnum, the ultimate showbiz hustler, as he assembles a dazzling troupe of outcasts, misfits, and people with voices so powerful they could probably shatter glass. Think acrobatics, sequins, rousing speeches about believing in yourself, and at least one power ballad that will leave you emotionally winded.
While the film starred Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, and Zendaya, the stage version will introduce a fresh new cast - though, fingers crossed, the top hats and dramatic slow-motion stares remain intact.
So, if you spent most of 2018 belting This Is Me in the shower or secretly wondering if you, too, could pull off a circus ringmaster outfit, this is your moment. The greatest show is coming, and it’s bound to be, well… great.