The Greatest Showman (2017)

About The Greatest Showman

The Greatest Showman is a musical drama directed by Michael Gracey in his directorial debut, with a screenplay by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon. Released in 2017, the film is inspired by the story of P. T. Barnum's creation of Barnum's American Museum and the lives of its star attractions. The film stars Hugh Jackman as Barnum, with Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, and Zendaya in supporting roles.

Making / Production

The film was conceived when Jackman, having portrayed over a thousand performances of Barnum in a Broadway musical, proposed the idea to 20th Century Fox. The production for The Greatest Showman began in 2009, and was a difficult endeavour due to its complex dance sequences, original songs, and need for captivating visuals.

Actors

• Hugh Jackman as P. T. Barnum: Best known for his Wolverine character in the X-Men series, Jackman delivers an inspiring performance as the visionary entrepreneur who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.
• Michelle Williams as Charity Barnum: Excellence in her craft, she plays the role of Barnum's wife who supports him through thick and thin.
• Zac Efron as Phillip Carlyle: Efron appears as Barnum's poetic and high-society partner who falls in love with a trapeze artist.
• Zendaya as Anne Wheeler: Zendaya plays the role of acrobat and trapeze artist in the Barnum’s Circus, who faces racial apartheid but continues to follow her dreams.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• This was Hugh Jackman's first musical film since Les Misérables (2012).
• Despite playing a character who falls in love with a trapeze artist, Zac Efron is actually afraid of heights in real life.
• The film took seven years to produce as the screenplay underwent multiple rewrites.
• The end credits song "From Now On" is an homage to P.T. Barnum's actual departure from the circus to focus on his family.

Awards

Despite mixed reviews, The Greatest Showman was a commercial success and won several awards. Most notably, the song "This Is Me" won Best Original Song at the 75th Golden Globe Awards and received a nomination for Best Original Song at the 90th Academy Awards.

Quotes

• "The noblest art is that of making others happy." - P.T. Barnum
• "No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else." - P.T. Barnum
• "Every one of us is special, and nobody is like anyone else. That's the point of my show." - P.T. Barnum

Music, Soundtrack

• "The Greatest Show" - Hugh Jackman, Keala Settle, Zac Efron, Zendaya
• "A Million Dreams" - Ziv Zaifman, Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams
• "Come Alive" - Hugh Jackman, Keala Settle, Daniel Everidge, Zendaya
• "The Other Side" - Hugh Jackman & Zac Efron
• "Never Enough" - Loren Allred
• "This Is Me" - Keala Settle & The Greatest Showman Ensemble