The spectacle and hubbub of a 19th-century circus will land on stage this month when the Croswell Opera House stages the musical “Barnum.”
The musical, based on the life of legendary entertainer P.T. Barnum, opens Friday, Aug. 10, and runs for two weekends.
“This show is absolutely spectacular,” said Jere Righter, the Croswell’s artistic director. “Our tech crew has been working overtime to put everything from aerial silks to a giant fake elephant on stage. We have jugglers, gymnasts and aerialists all working together to make this a spectacle that P.T. Barnum himself would be proud of.”
Adrian native Eric Parker, previously seen as Sam Phillips in “Million Dollar Quartet,” returns to his hometown stage in the role of Barnum. Barnum’s sensible wife, Charity, is played by Kyrie Bristle of Adrian. Abby Dotz of Saline plays Jenny Lind, the Swedish opera singer who goes on tour with Barnum at the end of the show’s first act.
Rounding out the 35-person cast are Jacob Adams, Brenna Gifford, Emily Gifford, A.J. Howard, Lauren Howard, Emily Hribar, Alison Hunt, Justin Kohlruss, Lori MacDonald, Xavier Sarabia, Erin Warfield and Ja’Vaughn White, all of Adrian; Elizabeth Higgins of Jackson; Tessa Decker, Carolyn Mohler and Maria Portaro-Mohler, all of Lambertville; John Bacarella of Monroe; Walter Book of Petersburg; Cordell Smith of Riga; Audrey Bury of Rochester Hills; Kyle Hauessler, Mark Hyre, Meg McNamee, Sarah Nowak, Arielle Osstifin and Kaden Osstifin, all of Tecumseh; Tara Ann Althaus of Temperance; Joseph Ball of Perrysburg, Ohio; Meg Grzeszcak of Sylvania, Ohio; Allyson Szymanski of Toledo; Belle Johnson of Waterville, Ohio; and Ryan Book of Woodville, Ohio.
The show is directed by Mark DiPietro, with music direction by Jonathan Sills and choreography by Jessica Adams. Chloe Whiting-Stevenson is the circus arts instructor. The set is by Leo Babcock, and the costumes are by Emily Gifford.
Although P.T. Barnum’s life story was thrust back into the spotlight recently by the movie “The Greatest Showman,” the musical “Barnum,” which debuted on Broadway in 1980, differs from the film in several ways. The songs were written by Cy Coleman, who also composed the music for “Sweet Charity,” and Barnum’s children do not appear in the musical. But the broad strokes of Barnum’s life, including the building and destruction by fire of his museum in New York and his life touring the world, are the same.
“Barnum” will run from Aug. 10-12 and Aug. 16-19. Evening shows are at 8 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays, and the second Thursday. Afternoon shows are at 2:30 p.m. Sundays and the second Saturday. Tickets range from $15 to $35 and may be ordered at croswell.org.
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