Press.disney.co.uk
OLIVER TOMPSETT AND SAMANTHA BARKS LEAD THE COMPANY AS P.T.BARNUM AND CHARITY BARNUM
Disney Theatrical Group have announced the full cast and creative team for their brand-new stage adaptation of The Greatest Showman, based on the2017 smash-hit film, with songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, book by Tim Federle and direction and choreography by Casey Nicholaw.
The Greatest Showman stars Oliver Tompsett (P.T. Barnum), Samantha Barks (Charity Barnum), Lorna Courtney (Anne Wheeler), Ben Joyce (Phillip Carlyle), Vajèn vanden Bosch (Jenny Lind) and Malinda Parris (Lettie Lutz). The cast also includes as Caroline/Young Charity - Mia Raggio, Angelica Pearl Scott and Maya Sewrey; as Helen – Harly Gill, Ellie McArdle and Eleanor Sebastian; and Young Barnum - Max Bispham, Joel Tennant and Clark Young. Josh St. Clair (Alternate P.T. Barnum), Katie Tonkinson (Standby Anne Wheeler). Making up the ensemble are 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, Zoe Schubert, with Abigail Climer, Bobby Cookson, Katrina Dix, Zack Guest, Georgie Hutchinson, Fallon Mondlane, Stephen Rolley, Jess Smith, Blake Tuke, Santino Zapico as Swings.
Completing the creative team are Alex Lacamoire (Music Supervision, Incidental & Dance Music Arrangements and Orchestrations), David Korins (Scenic Design), Gregg Barnes and Sky Switser (Costume Design); Natasha Katz (Lighting Design); Peter Hylenski (Sound Design), George Reeve (Video Design), Lorenzo Pisoni (Circus Creation and Design), Josh Marquette (Hair and WigDesign), Milagros Medina-Cerdeira (Make Up Design), Jeremy Chernick(Special Effects Design), Skylar Fox (Illusions), Natalie Gallacher CDG for Pippa Ailion and Natalie Gallacher Casting (Casting Director) and Keston & Keston (Children's General Manager and Casting Director). Justin Paul is also providing Vocal and Incidental Music Arrangements.
Based on the20th Century Studios motion picture with story by Jenny Bicks, The Greatest Showman is the first 20th Century Studios (formerly 20th CenturyFox) title to be adapted for the stage by Disney Theatrical Group. The Seelig Group, a producer of the original film, is also a producer of the musical.
The musical will feature the GRAMMY® Award-winning and Academy Award®-nominated songs by EGOT winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land, Dear Evan Hansen), including “The Greatest Show,” “A Million Dreams,” “Come Alive,” “Rewrite the Stars,” “Never Enough” and the Golden Globe® Award-winning “This Is Me,” together with their brand new songs written especially for the musical.
The production premières at ATG Entertainment’s Bristol Hippodrome from 15 March to 10 May 2026. Audiences are invited to sign up for access to priority booking at www.thegreatestshowman.co.uk. Priority booking opens 4 November at 12pm. Tickets go on general sale at 10am on 6 November.
Casey Nicholaw said today, “It’s an absolute joy to finally share our incredible cast with the world – led by the brilliant Oliver Tompsett and Samantha Barks. After an exhaustive search we have gathered a group of artists whose talent will bring to life this fantastic story - with a theatrical new book by Tim Federle and the beloved score created by Pasek and Paul. Together with a world class creative team, we are so excited to bring this story to life for the first time on stage.”
Oliver Tompsett commented, “Roles like this don’t come along very often, so it’s an absolute privilege to be taking on this incredible character in the original company of The Greatest Showman. I’m so very fortunate to be surrounded by the most brilliant cast – Sam, Ben, Lorna, Malinda, and Vajèn - and can’t wait to begin the creative process with Casey and the team in the rehearsal room.”
Samantha Barks added, “I’m thrilled to be rejoining the Disney family to play Charity Barnum. There is something utterly magical about The Greatest Showman – the songs have become instant classics - and I’m so excited to partner with Olly to bring this incredible couple and their enduring love to life on stage.”
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THE GREATEST SHOWMAN
Songs by Benj Pasek and JustinPaul
Book by Tim Federle
Cast: Oliver Tompsett (P.T. Barnum), Samantha Barks (Charity Barnum), Lorna Courtney (Anne Wheeler), Ben Joyce (Phillip Carlyle), Vajèn vanden Bosch (Jenny Lind) and Malinda Parris (LettieLutz). As Caroline/Young Charity - Mia Raggio, Angelica Pearl Scott and Maya Emily Sewrey; as Helen - Harly-Rose Gill, Ellie McArdle and Eleanor Sebastian; and Young Barnum - Max Bispham, Joel Tennant and Clark Young. Josh St. Clair (Alternate P.T. Barnum), Katie Tonkinson (Standby Anne Wheeler). Making up the ensemble are 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, Zoe Schubert, with Abigail Climer, Bobby Cookson, Katrina Dix, Zack Guest, Georgie Hutchinson, Fallon Mondlane, Stephen Rolley, Jess Smith, Blake Tuke, Santino Zapico as Swings.
Directed and Choreographed by: Casey Nicholaw; Music Supervision, Incidental & Dance Music Arrangements and Orchestrations: Alex Lacamoire; Vocal and Incidental Music Arrangements: Justin Paul; Scenic Design: David Korins; Costume Design: Gregg Barnes and Sky Switser; Lighting Design: Natasha Katz; Sound Design: Peter Hylenski; Video Design: George Reeve; Circus Creation and Design: Lorenzo Pisoni; Hair and Wig Design: Josh Marquette; Make Up Design: Milagros Medina-Cerdeira; Special Effects Design: Jeremy Chernick; Illusions: Skylar Fox; Casting Director: Natalie Gallacher CDG for Pippa Ailion and Natalie Gallacher Casting; Children's General Manager and Casting Director: Keston & Keston
A MILLION DREAMS. ONE GLORIOUS NEW MUSICAL
Featuring the GRAMMY® Award-winning and Oscar®-nominated songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land, Dear Evan Hansen), including “The Greatest Show”, “A Million Dreams”, “Come Alive”, “Rewrite the Stars”, “Never Enough” and the Golden Globe® Award-winning “This Is Me” – along with brand-new songs written by the pair especially for the show. With book by Tim Federle (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Tuck Everlasting) – this exhilarating musical adaptation is directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, Disney's Hercules).
Leave what’s real behind and be the first to experience the stage production of The Greatest Showman. Based on the global movie phenomenon, this brand-new musical comes to the Bristol Hippodrome in spring 2026 for a strictly limited season.
Oliver Tompsett plays P.T. Barnum. His theatre work includes A Knight’s Tale (Opera House Manchester), Ghost (Adelphi Theatre – concert), & Juliet (Broadway and Shaftesbury Theatre), InDreams (Leeds Playhouse), Pretty Woman (Savoy Theatre), Kinky Boots (Adelphi Theatre), Starlight Express (The Other Palace), Guys and Dolls (Phoenix Theatre), The World Goes Round (St James Theatre), White Christmas (West Yorkshire Playhouse), We Will Rock You (Dominion Theatre), Rock of Ages (Shaftesbury Theatre), Wicked (Apollo Victoria), The Royal Hunt of the Sun (National Theatre), Notes from New York (Trafalgar Studios), Mamma Mia! (Prince of WalesTheatre), Kismet (Arcola Theatre), Our House (Cambridge Theatre), and West Side Story (Cannizaro Park). His film work includes ShowDogs and The Hard Way.
Samantha Barks plays Charity Barnum. For theatre, her work includes Live at the London Palladium, Frozen (Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and also filmed for Disney+), Chess (Umeda Arts Theater Main Hall / Tokyo International Forum Hall), Pretty Woman (Chicago and Broadway), The Last Five Years (St James Theatre), Amelie (Berkley Rep), City of Angels (Donmar Warehouse), Chicago (Hollywood Bowl), Oliver! (UK tour), Les Misérables (Queen’s Theatre), and Cabaret (Birmingham Rep). She was one of the participants on the BBC series I’d Do Anything, and won the most recent series of The Masked Singer. She was a judge on All Star Musicals and Mamma Mia! - I Have a Dream. For film, her credits include Tomorrow Morning, Chocolate Cake, For Love or Money, Bitter Harvest, The Revenger, Interlude in Prague, The Devil’s Harvest, The Christmas Candle and as Eponine in Les Misérables (recipient of Empire Award for Best Female Newcomer; and nomination for Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture). She also reprised her performance as Eponine for Les Misérables in Concert: The 25th Anniversary.
Lorna Courtney plays Anne Wheeler. Her theatre work includes Heathers (New World Stages), & Juliet (Stephen Sondheim Theatre and Toronto - Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, and nomination from the Drama League for Distinguished Performance), West Side Story (Broadway Theatre), Dear Evan Hansen (Music Box Theatre), and Mama, I Want to Sing (Mama Foundation). Her television work includes The Equalizer.
Ben Joyce plays Phillip Carlyle. His theatre work includes The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Prince Edward Theatre – concert), Shucked (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Back to the Future (Adelphi Theatre - nominated for Best Takeover at the 2023 WhatsOnStage Awards), and Jersey Boys (Trafalgar Theatre - nominated for Best Performer in a Musical and Best West End Debut at the 2022 The Stage Debut). His television work includes The Power.
Vajèn van den Bosch plays Jenny Lind. Her theatre in the Netherlands includes Frozen, Wicked, Les Misérables and On Your Feet!. Her television work includes Nachtwacht, Nieuwe tijden, Despa and Ghost Rockers; and for film, Costa and First Kiss.
Malinda Parris plays Lettie Lutz. Her theatre credits include Hercules (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), The Enormous Crocodile (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), The Little Big Things (soho place), & Juliet (Shaftesbury Theatre), Mary Poppins (Prince Edward Theatre), Matilda (Cambridge Theatre, RSC), Aladdin (Lyric Hammersmith Theatre), Caroline, Or Change, The Light Princess (National Theatre), Anansi Trades Places (Shaw Theatre), Little Shop Of Horrors (New Wolsey Theatre), Parade (Donmar Warehouse). Her film credits include Wicked and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.
Listings
The Bristol Hippodrome
St Augustine's Parade, Bristol BS1 4UZ
Tickets from £25
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
15 March – 8 April
Sunday 15 March: 19.30
Tuesday 17 March: 19.30
Wednesday 18 March: 19.30
Friday 20 March: 19.30
Saturday 21 March: 19.30
Sunday 22 March: 19.30
Thursday 26 March: 19.30
Friday 27 March: 19.30
Saturday 27 March: 14.30
Saturday 28 March: 19.30
Sunday 29 March: 14.30
Tuesday 31 March: 19.30
Wednesday 1 April: 19.30
Friday 3 April: 19.30
Saturday 4 April: 14.30
Saturday 4 April: 19.30
Sunday 5 April: 14.30
Tuesday 7 April: 19.30
Wednesday 8 April: 19.30
Thursday 9 April – Sunday 10 May
Tuesday to Saturday: 19.30
Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday: 14.30
Access performances to be announced prior to on-sale.
For further information, please contact:
Kate Morley 07970 465 648 / kate@katemorleypr.com