The Greatest Showman Stage Musical Begins World Premiere in U.K. March 15

Broadway favorites Lorna Courtney and Samantha Barks are bringing the 2017 movie musical to the stage.

March 15, 2026 By Logan Culwell-Block

Step right up! The Greatest Showman begins its world premiere run at Bristol Hippodrome in the U.K. March 15. The limited run will continue through May 10.

And though this project is starting its life across the pond, there are some familiar faces in the cast. Lorna Courtney (& Juliet) stars as Anne Wheeler, with Samantha Barks (Pretty Woman) as Charity Barnum and Oliver Tompsett (& Juliet) as P.T. Barnum.

The cast also includes Ben Joyce as Phillip Carlyle, Vajèn van den Bosch as Jenny Lind, and Malinda Parris as Lettie Lutz. The children's cast includes Mia Raggio, Angelica Pearl Scott, and Maya Sewrey as Caroline and Young Charity; Harly Gill, Ellie McArdle, and Eleanor Sebastian as Helen; and Max Bispham, Joel Tennant, and Clark Young as Young Barnum. Josh St. Clair is the alternate for P.T. Barnum.

The ensemble includes Derek Aidoo, Cornelius Atkinson, Matt Bateman, Nikki Bentley, Courtenay Brady, Thea Bunting, Amara Campbell, Jonathan Cordin, Angus Good, Ryesha Higgs, Barney Hudson, Annie Knight, Nathan Louis-Fernand, Liam Marcellino, Ayesha Maynard, Suzie McAdam, Emily McCarthy, Will Meager, Michael Patterson, Stuart Matthew Price, Emile Ruddock, Annie Southall, and Zoe Schubert. Swings Abigail Climer, Bobby Cookson, Katrina Dix, Zack Guest, Georgie Hutchinson, Fallon Mondlane, Stephen Rolley, Jess Smith, Blake Tuke, and Santino Zapico, and standby Katie Tinkinson round out the company. Casting is by Natalie Gallacher, for Pippa Ailion and Natalie Gallacher Casting.

Two-time Tony winner Casey Nicholaw (Some Like It Hot, The Book of Mormon) is directing and choreographing the musical, adapted from the 2017 musical film of the same name starring Hugh Jackman. Tim Federle (Tuck Everlasting, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) has written the book from Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon's screenplay, and the score is by EGOT-winning song writers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Dear Evan Hansen). Paul is also supplying vocal and incidental music arrangements. The pair wrote the film's songs, including the Golden Globe-winning "This Is Me," and have penned new tunes for the stage adaptation as well.

The creative team also includes music supervisor, incidental and dance music arranger, and orchestrator Alex Lacamoire; scenic designer David Korins; costume designers Gregg Barnes and Sky Switser; lighting designer Natasha Katz; sound designer Peter Hylenski; video designer George Reeve; circus creation and designer Lorenzo Pisoni; hair and wig designer Josh Marquette; make-up designer Milagros Medina-Cerdeira; special effects designer Jeremy Chernick; and illusion designer Skylar Fox. Children's general management and casting direction are by Keston & Keston.

The fan favorite 2017 film starred Hugh Jackman as real-world circus impresario P.T. Barnum, with the plot following his journey creating the iconic and long-running circus show with a group of unlikely performers. This stage musical is the second about Barnum's life, following Cy Coleman, Mark Bramble, and Michael Stewart's Barnum, which premiered on Broadway in 1980.

Visit TheGreatestShowman.co.uk.