The Greatest Showman Musical Set for West End Debut in 2027

The immensely popular 2017 film "The Greatest Showman," renowned for its chart-topping soundtrack, is making its way to the West End stage next spring. Following a highly successful eight-week engagement at Bristol Hippodrome earlier this year, this Disney musical will officially open at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, which is currently hosting Disney's "Hercules."

The production will see Oliver Tompsett and Samantha Barks reprise their acclaimed roles from the Bristol run, portraying circus impresario P.T. Barnum and his wife, Charity, respectively. Barks is no stranger to the Drury Lane stage, having previously played Elsa in the theatrical adaptation of Disney's "Frozen." Also returning from the Bristol production are Ben Joyce as Barnum's associate Phillip Carlyle, Vajèn van den Bosch as the celebrated opera singer Jenny Lind, also known as the "Swedish Nightingale," and Malinda Parris as Lettie Lutz, the "bearded lady."

The stage adaptation features all of the beloved songs from the film, including "This Is Me" and "Never Enough," with music and lyrics by the Oscar-winning duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. The creative team has also introduced a selection of new songs for the production. The show incorporates dazzling circus acts and magic, including an aerial performance for "Rewrite the Stars." While largely following the narrative of the film, the Bristol production saw some differences in the "curiosities" recruited by Barnum for his troupe compared to their cinematic counterparts. Anne Quart, executive producer at Disney Theatrical Group, noted earlier this year, "We have created characters who are vulnerable and who represent the idea of otherness in a handful of different ways."

Quart, along with colleague Andrew Flatt, characterized "The Greatest Showman" as a production that is "fearless in its emotion: open-hearted, exuberant and unapologetically joyous, celebrating those considered outsiders and dreamers." The musical features a book by Tim Federle and is directed by Casey Nicholaw, a Tony Award winner for his work on "The Book of Mormon."

It is worth noting that another musical inspired by "The Greatest Showman," titled "Come Alive!" after one of the film's songs, has been running at the Empress Museum in London for two years. Although its plot diverges from the film, it incorporates the original songs and is currently booking until the spring.