COME ALIVE! THE GREATEST SHOWMAN CIRCUS SPECTACULAR
Songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
Music producer, music supervisor and new orchestrations by Matthew Brind
Produced by Chip Seelig and Lana Lort
Creative director: Simon Hammerstein
The Showman performed by Simon Bailey
Max performed by Aaliya Mai
January 18, 2025
Empress Museum
London, England
PART 1: THE GREATEST PHENOMENON
When I first saw THE GREATEST SHOWMAN (TGS) at the cinemas, I was immediately swept away by its many show-stopping songs. Carefully crafted by the highly talented songwriting team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, every song in the film is a bona fide hit with unforgettable melodies and lyrics that give a clear insight into the lives and feelings of each of its characters.
The film’s soundtrack album went on to become a global sensation with over five million units sold. Its popularity with fans and famous musicians alike led to a cover album, THE GREATEST SHOWMAN: REIMAGINED, being released with new and exciting arrangements of the original songs.
With such enormous success, it was only a matter of time before it became a big budget stage production.
PART 2: FROM FILM TO CIRCUS SPECTACULAR
Seven years after TGS was first released in cinemas, it has now been reborn as COME ALIVE! THE GREATEST SHOWMAN CIRCUS SPECTACULAR, receiving its world premiere at the Empress Museum in Earls Court, London.
Loosely modelled on the original story with a host of new characters, it retains the original hit songs from the film while filling the show with highly accomplished dancers and acrobats to give the show energy and dazzle.
PART 3: SAY WHAT?
As the show’s title suggests, COME ALIVE! is a circus spectacular – or to be exact, it’s a circus spectacular that features the hit songs from the original movie.
To be sure, COME ALIVE! has a lot going for it from its killer songs and amazing vocalists, to its spirited dancers and highly talented acrobats – it undoubtedly has a lot of talent on display.
Unfortunately though, the good things about the show pretty much end there.
The original film was plagued by a paper-thin plot that spent little time developing its characters. As a result, I just couldn’t buy the love story between the Showman and his wife – I mean, why would she devote her life to such a selfish human being that would use people at will to get what he wants? And why would the film make such a despicable character appear far less worse than he really is?
The film only really came alive when the songs were performed, so if you take those songs away, there really isn’t much left.
And that there lies the main problem with COME ALIVE! – its unintelligible plot.
It has too many characters that are given little or no introduction, so we have no idea who they are and what part they have in the story. Some of the spoken dialogue during key moments is simply inaudible (or at least were for the show I attended), so it is hard to follow what is happening. On top of that, the songs are in a different order from the film, so we have no frame of reference for where we are in the narrative.
All we can really do is enjoy the dance and acrobatic performances while waiting to hear our favorite songs from the film performed live.
It truly pains me to say all this because I so wanted COME ALIVE! to succeed, but alas, it’s impossible to overlook these problems.
This is all the more disappointing because they had a prime opportunity to improve upon the issues from the original film, but they somehow ended up squandering it.
I only hope that they can continue working on the show and taking on feedback to someday provide a truly spectacular experience.
In any case, allow me to dive – as best I can – into a brief summary of the show.
PART 4: PRE-SHOW FUN FOR ALL
The official website states that you can enjoy an “interactive pre-show experience” one hour before the show.
Curious, I showed up early to find an indoor fairground built around the performance stage. You could buy drinks and snacks, watch mini performances, take photos with the performers walking the grounds, and just soak up the fun carnival atmosphere.
PART 5: CLASSIC SONGS WITH MYSTERY SINGERS
As mentioned earlier, the songs in COME ALIVE! are not in the order they appear in TGS – in fact, they’re all over the place, and in some cases, appear in fragments.
Despite this, many of the songs received stunning new arrangements that were performed by a live band and the show’s incredible vocalists. Pre-recorded backing vocals were also used to support some of the bigger numbers, with instrumental versions of some of the songs appearing throughout the show. And as far as I can tell, none of John Debney and Joseph Trapanese’s score from the original film is used.
The “guy in green,” whose character’s name was not mentioned throughout the entire show*, was tremendous. His main vocal performance of “Never Enough” was simply spellbinding, and when the two female vocalists joined him during the climax of the song, it was pure ecstasy. It’s no coincidence that this was the only song during the whole show that had the audience dead silent as we were all moved beyond words.
*The show program is also of no help as the entire cast is listed in alphabetical order without a single headshot. You just don’t know who’s who…
“Tightrope” was another song that received an incredible new arrangement. Again, the “guy in green” took on the main vocal and demonstrated tremendous vocal range, with the two female vocalists – who I am again unable to identify – providing perfect backing support.
I must make special mention of one of these female vocalists, the “girl in the cowboy hat.” During the show she walked up and down the isles while performing, and as I was sitting on the aisle in the third row, I could hear firsthand how good her singing voice was. It’s a real shame she wasn’t given a bigger role, but an even bigger shame that she couldn’t easily be identified or applauded for her amazing talents.
Aaliya Mai, the main actress and female vocalist for the night who played the character of “Max,” took on many of TGS’s most popular songs and knocked them out of the park. Her take on “Rewrite the Stars” was soaringly romantic, while her spirited duet with the Showman for “The Other Side” had the audience wildly cheering along.
A dejected Showman and his band of performers walking across the stage kicked off a truly show-stopping performance of “From Now On.” The Showman, played with confidence and boundless charisma by the talented Simon Bailey, really got the crowd going here – people were clapping along, moving their bodies and joyously stamping their feet to the music. It was impossible not to be swept away by it all.
Before the show ended with TGS’s signature piece, the Showman and his team beckoned the audience to participate in practicing that iconic “woo-oh-oh-oh-ohh” opening. After mixed results from the audience, the song began, with the Showman and Max taking turns to sing each part of the song. It was a suitably uplfiting way to end the evening, and a strong reminder of the superlative music Pasek and Paul had written for the original TGS film.
PART 6: FANTASTIC FEATS AND DYNAMIC DANCERS
As a “circus spectacular,” COME ALIVE! was certain to have some fantastic acrobatic acts on display, and boy did they deliver.
It’s unfortunate that few acrobatic pieces were timed to match the music, but I’m certain this is quite difficult to do as the performers must first time their actions to ensure maximum safety.
Still, it was a very impressive display, made all the more exciting by the audience’s close proximity to the stage.
Complimenting the songs and singers was a small group of highly talented and lively dancers. They were exceptional throughout the performance, matching the mood and giving the show a tremendous amount of energy.
And since we were situated so close to the stage, we could really see and appreciate the effort and passion they were putting into their performances. Hats off to these guys!
PART 7: SOME FINAL THOUGHTS
Despite the caveats mentioned throughout this review, that doesn’t take away from the fact that there are still many things to admire and recommend about the show from its fantastic new song arrangements and performances, to its spirited cast of dancers and acrobats.
I just hope that they can do everything possible to improve upon the plot while spending more time developing its characters. If they can do this, then I’m certain they’ll have a real hit on their hands.
Regardless of the issues with COME ALIVE!, one thing will always be true: the songs that Pasek and Paul wrote for TGS have gone on to become acknowledged classics that deserve to be performed and heard the world over.
PART 8: SHOW MERCH
There are two merch stands inside the Empress Museum and they sell standard show goods like t-shirts, crop tops, posters, pins and tote bags.
There was no official program on sale unfortunately, but they did have complimentary one-sheet flyers that contained production and cast credits.
PART 9: OVER TO YOU
Did you also see this circus spectacular? How did you like it?
And what did you think of my report? Feel free to comment below or reach out to me directly in the “Contact Me” section.