Chichester Festival Theatre is planning a revival of Barnum next year which will be staged in a 1400 seater tent while the theatre is refurbished. As with other recent Chichester shows the show and tent will then move to London.
The tent won't move to London, but the show will. If all goes to plan, it'll be the Prince Edward. Cameron Mackintosh is co producing the Chichester Production.
They'll need a big name to fill the Prince Edward. The Stage is reporting the tent will go to London too but I'd have thought a traditional theatre more likely.
Not a fan of this show at all, but Chichester will at least have a unique staging.
If they can stage Peter Pan and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe in a tent in London why not Barnum? Why stick it in a conventional theatre for London? Shouldn't everyone get to experience it the way the producers are staging it in Chichester and not just those that can get to Chichester?
Not saying it can't. But the reason for the staging in Chichester is that the theatre is closing for renovation so all shows for next years Festival will be in the tent. They could transfe it in a tent, but if Cameron is involved (and he has wanted to revive the show in the west end for years) he may be looking at a long run and these tent shows tend to be for a short season, and are off the beaten track. Not usually a main stream musical. Financially a large West End theatre will give a quicker return.
No creative team is announced yet, it's all very early stages so it all depends on how things develoP
It would be ideal for the show to remain in the tent outside like Lion, witch.,, but Cameron will want the show to come in an open ended run and desirably in one of his houses. He has long planned Barnum and been keen on it going to The Prince Edward.
Jersey Boys, who knows, it's a year away. I imagine it will look to transfer to the Gielgud size of a house...
Jonwo, I love you lots, you are one of my favourites on this board, you come out with some great gens of knowledge, for example when I said about Book Of Mormon moving into a 'much' bigger theatre in London than New York and you came back and informed me correctly only by 52 seats. You do other excellent posts too, but the post earlier in this thread, has to be up there for one of the posts of the year, if you were on TV and they still do those TV blunder programmes, that would get star billing!!!
Anyway aside from that I would imagine it would be a treat to see Barnum in a big top and would definitely be worth a trip to Chichester just for that, then it would be worth seeing the show again in the best theatre in London. If the show is to be in the bigtop, there would be a good argument for touring the show, then bring it to the Prince Edward.
Great news if it happens, but wonder where this buts Miss Saigon.
Cameron Mackintosh's been trying to stage a revival of Barnum for a while and a co-production with CFT is a good idea as it mean it will be able to play there first to sort out the kinks then transfer to town. He co-produced the National Theatre productions of Carousel, Oklahoma! and My Fair Lady.
As for Miss Saigon, it wouldn't surprise me if that ends up at the Drury Lane in late 2013.
Michael ball would have to go on a massive fitness kick to do Barnum.
Even so would his name be enough, even Sweeney isn't selling out, I'm amazed how many offers I get through for it. Yet SITR which everyone thought may struggle is doing great business. You need the right star and the right show, is there enough interest in Barnum to the general theatre goer? I'm not so sure
It needs a big name and some spectacular staging - oh - and maybe a limited season. Anyone remembers the last time Barnum hit the WestEnd ? At the Dominion ? Wasn't a sell-out and that was over the Christmas season
I don't think they will go for Michael Ball. John Barrowman had extensive chats with Cameron when it was slated for 2009/10, since then Hugh Jackman and Neil Patrick Harris have been banded about. I don't think Hugh Jackman is such a "way off" idea. Cameron is very close to him since Oklahoma days back in 1998 and of course most recently and Cameron is very convincing!
The Minerva Theatre will remain open where Chichester are also looking to revive The Pajama Game.
I'm quite sure Michael Ball won't be in this show. I know he's been offered the part in the past but couldn't do it because of his tours and Hairspray. But as I mentioned in the "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" thread Michael is planning on being back on the West End stage in the autumn of 2013 with another show.
As for Sweeney not selling out: It's not a commercial show in the same way as "Charlie" and "Barnum" are. Firstly there's the subject matter - then add Sondheim into the mix and you have a show that quite a lot of people will stay away from. I know people who have been fans of Michael Ball for 10 or 20 years and they won't go see him in this. I also saw a comment the other day from someone who left at the interval because they thought the show was distasteful.
I would love it if this turns out to be more of a revisal than a revival, and they get someone to revise the book and maybe put back some of the songs that were cut the first time around. There's a great show in there somewhere, but you'd never know it from reading the original book.
Someone on WOS posted this about Michael Ball and Barnum.
Still think he is wrong for it but time will tell
"Michael Ball at his Q&A at the Criterion the other month - hinted that there was a well known musical he wanted to do after Sweeney - it was an American Show and it hasn't had a production here for a while - he also hinted that it would be at CFT first. So this could possibly be it! "
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Posted: 6/20/12 at 02:11pm