The stage musical adaptation of The Greatest Showman is bound for London’s West End. The musical, directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, Mean Girls), will play Theatre Royal Drury Lane beginning in spring 2027, with dates to be announced. The news was broken at the D23 Disney fan convention, currently being held in Anaheim, California.
The musical’s West End bow follows a sell-out world premiere run at The Bristol Hippodrome earlier this year. Much of the cast from that U.K. run will be back for the London bow, including Oliver Tompsett (& Juliet) as P.T. Barnum, Samantha Barks (Les Misérables) as Charity Barnum, Ben Joyce as Phillip Carlyle, Vajén van den Bosch as Jenny Lind, and Malinda Parris as Lettie Lutz. Further casting, by Natalie Gallacher for Pippa Ailion and Natalie Gallacher Casting, is to be announced.
Adapted from the 2017 musical film starring Hugh Jackman, The Greatest Showman centers on the real-world circus impresario P.T. Barnum as he creates his iconic and long-running show with a group of unlikely performers. The stage adaptation features a book by Tim Federle (Tuck Everlasting, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) from Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon’s screenplay and a story by Bicks. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who wrote the film’s songs, including the Golden Globe-winning “This is Me,” have written the stage musical’s score, which includes the film songs alongside new tunes penned for the stage adaptation. Paul is also supplying vocal and incidental music arrangements.
This stage musical is the second about Barnum’s life, following Cy Coleman, Mark Bramble, and Michael Stewart’s Barnum, which premiered on Broadway in 1980.
The production features music supervision, incidental and dance music arrangements, and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire; scenic design by David Korins; costume design by Gregg Barnes and Sky Switser; lighting design by Natasha Katz; sound design by Peter Hylenski; video design by George Reeve; circus creation and design by Lorenzo Pisoni; hair and wig design by Josh Marquette; make-up design by Milagros Medina-Cerdeira; special effects design by Jeremy Chernick; and illusion design by Skylar Fox. Keston & Keston serves as general managers and children’s casting director, and acrobat casting is by The 7 Fingers.
Disney Theatrical Group is producing alongside The Seelig Group.
“It’s rare for a new film musical to capture the world’s imagination in the way The Greatest Showman has—both for its story and record-breaking soundtrack,” say Disney’s Anne Quart and Andrew Flatt in a statement. “The piece is fearless in its emotion: open-hearted, exuberant, and unapologetically joyous, celebrating those considered outsiders and dreamers. While its storytelling draws on classic traditions, its score is unmistakably of today—bold, infectious songs that feel they were always destined for the stage.”
Visit TheGreatestShowman.co.uk.