★★★★

“bursts with colour, energy and theatrical magic”

Follow that band to the Cambridge Arts Centre for ‘Barnum: The Circus Musical’ on its UK tour. Bursting with energy, circus spectacle and infectious charm, its more layered take on P.T. Barnum adds welcome depth to an already entertaining show.

Young Barnum is determined to make his mark, peddling a little “humbug” and a lot of ambition. While devoted wife Charity tries to keep him grounded, Barnum never stops reaching skyward – though what will be waiting when he gets there?

Mark Bramble’s book has a welcome edge, balancing showmanship with cynicism of Barnum’s ‘talents’. While it glosses over the darker realities – for example, Joyce Heth was a real enslaved African-American woman whose exploitation continued after her death – and leans into a fictional romance with Jenny Lind, this version has more bite than you might expect from a circus musical.

Cy Coleman’s toe-tapping score and Michael Stewart’s witty lyrics – vividly arranged, orchestrated and supervised by George Dyer – capture the spirit of classic Americana. From the breathless patter of ‘Museum Song’, to crowd-pleasers like ‘One Brick at a Time’, ‘Come Follow the Band’ and ‘Join the Circus’, the music has a gloriously uplifting energy – that is, until Jenny Lind’s haunting ‘Love Makes Such Fools of Us All’, filled with chromatic contrast and beauty. Musical director Ben Scott and deputy Tom Sowinski ensure the onstage orchestra delivers a vibrant, energetic sound that’s guaranteed to get toes tapping.

Jonathan O’Boyle’s inventive staging transforms the theatre into a bustling circus tent, drawing the audience straight into Barnum’s world. There’s no shortage of wow factor, with Amy Panter’s expertly choreographed circus acts delivering one visual thrill after another. Though the sheer abundance of activity can sometimes feel a little overstimulating and threatens to dilute the emotional arc, the production’s sense of wonder rarely falters. And the cherry on this jam-packed cake is the tight rope walk, completed by Barnum himself!

Oti Mabuse’s thrilling choreography, co-created with Matt Nicholson, is a real highlight. Bold, precise and packed with energy, it gives the production a welcome freshness without losing its old-school charm.

Lee Newby’s vibrant set and costume designs lean beautifully into the show’s colourful metaphors, especially the monochrome sequence bursting back into glorious technicolour. Jai Morjaria’s lighting deftly guides us through Barnum’s public persona and private reflections, while Tom Marshall’s sound design lands with impact. Adding an extra touch of theatrical magic, Significant Object’s puppet team and director Helen Foan bring Jumbo the elephant charmingly to life, though some extra height would make this giant even more impressive.

Matt Rawle brings plenty of warmth and charm to Barnum, backed by strong vocals and an impressive tightrope walk. If Rawle occasionally feels a touch understated against the production’s constant fizz, his easy charisma keeps him centre stage. Monique Young shines as Charity, delivering powerful vocals and dance work. Penny Ashmore is a standout as Jenny Lind, combining soaring soprano vocals with harp playing and pointe work to captivating effect. Dominique Planter brings warmth, wit and richness to Joyce. However, the ensemble truly deserves tonight’s ovation, not only singing, dancing and acting but playing instruments and nailing the acrobatics to boot! The company’s incredible versatility is dazzling.

‘Barnum: The Circus Musical’ bursts with colour, energy and theatrical magic. A few tweaks would elevate it further, but the extraordinarily talented cast makes it an irresistible night at the theatre.

DR. STRANGELOVE at the Noël Coward Theatre

★★★½

“part broad farce, part skewering satire, a little bit of ’Allo ’Allo, some Airplane, some Partridge”

You have to laugh, don’t you, faced with this confluence of existential crises. War in Europe and the Americans tempted by the charms of a bloviated strongman. Meanwhile the Reds, if not exactly under in our beds, then loitering on our phones, messing with our minds.

Perfect time then for that whip-smart agitator Armando Iannucci, arch chronicler of political chaos, to revive and adapt director Stanley Kubrick’s classic ode to Cold War lunacy, Dr Strangelove.

A great decision and elevated to genius with Steve Coogan who is in harness for not one but four roles – the headliner’s quick change act a marvel in itself.

A reminder: it’s the early 1960s. We’re in the Cold War, everyone’s on edge, there are Commies everywhere, paranoia is rife and cigar chomping General Jack Ripper (a very Trumpian John Hopkins) has gone rogue, sending his pilots to drop a big wing of H-bombs on the Ruskies.

The next two hours of this soaring, mile-a-minute, yet strangely stodgy comedy sees bumbling War Room generals trying to mitigate and resolve one world-ending disaster after another, not helped by a disabling patriotism that won’t let them back down.

There’s a grab-bag of comedy influences on show – part broad farce, part skewering satire, a little bit of ’Allo ’Allo, some Airplane, some Partridge (inevitably) as well as dollops of that Pythonesque love of institutional silliness.

But mostly we’re living in Coogan’s world. He is the lynchpin of director Sean Foley’s ambitious production that attempts – by means of audacious staging, filmed backdrops, crashes, bangs and shoot-outs – to emulate Kubrick’s 1964 silver screen satire.

All eyes are on Coogan as he embodies, in turn, marble mouthed Brit Lionel Mandrake (channelling King Charles); frazzled plot device President Merkin Muffley; bombastic, bombtastic pilot Major TJ Kong; and the eponymous Dr Strangelove, the sinister Nazi (‘as American as apple strudel’) with the Andy Warhol wig and the alien robot arm that has a tendency to heil Hitler. Coogan is at his peak here, whizzing about in a wheelchair in a blizzard of tics, finding layers of comedy in his camp German inflections.

When he is on, he is truly on, when he is off – changing wigs and suits – we hanker for his return.

Coogan makes the most of his audacious bid to match, and perhaps surpass, Peter Sellers – the film’s original star – as the country’s most admirable comic actor. Coogan gives it everything, seemingly understanding the weight of the comparison, even taking on a fourth role to top Sellers by one.

The production is not entirely successful. The convolutions of plot and language occasionally fall for their own complexity meaning the comedy sags. Too many jokes are aimless and dated. And the febrile pacing – one note, full pelt farce, major scene changes, and non-stop calamity – is sometimes too much and not enough at the same time, the cinematic ambition leaving the theatricals stuttering.

But the ensemble cast is uniformly strong. Booming Giles Terera as General Turgidson takes on Coogan blow-for-blow in the War Room set pieces. Mark Hadfield sprinkles baffled fun on proceedings as Paceman, and Tony Jayawardena gives Russian Ambassador Bakov some comedic heft.

The sets (by Hildegard Bechtler) are jaw dropping, the energy phenomenal and the laugh rate about as high as a B-52 over Moscow.

Tag Archives: Penny Ashmore

BARNUM

★★★★

UK Tour

BARNUM

Cambridge Arts Theatre

★★★★

“bursts with colour, energy and theatrical magic”

BARNUM

Cambridge Arts Theatre then UK tour continues

Reviewed on 18th August 2026

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Pamela Raith

BARNUM

BARNUM

BARNUM

DR. STRANGELOVE

★★★½

Noël Coward Theatre

DR. STRANGELOVE at the Noël Coward Theatre

★★★½

“part broad farce, part skewering satire, a little bit of ’Allo ’Allo, some Airplane, some Partridge”