Theatre stars Samantha Barks and Oliver Tompsett will lead the cast of the new stage adaptation when it opens in London in the spring of 2027.
Following a sell-out debut run at the Bristol Hippodrome earlier this year, the stage adaptation of The Greatest Showman from Disney Theatrical Group will open at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in spring 2027.
Based on the 2017 film starring Hugh Jackman, the stage musical will be directed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw and features the Grammy Award-winning original music as well as new songs by the film’s composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
Theatre favourites to lead cast
Acclaimed theatre performers Oliver Tompsett and Samantha Barks will lead the cast as showmaster P.T. Barnum and wife Charity Barnum respectively.
Oliver Tompsett’s extensive stage credits include Shakespeare in &Juliet (Broadway & West End), Edward Lewis in Pretty Woman (Savoy Theatre), Charlie Price in Kinky Boots (Adelphi), Fiyero in Wicked (Apollo Victoria) and Thomas in Wild About You (Theatre Royal Drury Lane). He also released a duet album with Cynthia Erivo in 2015 covering contemporary theatre songs by songwriter and composer Scott Alan.
Groups might recognise Samantha Barks from her role as Eponine in the 2012 hit film version of Les Miserables. After rising to fame on the BBC talent show I’d Do Anything in 2008, Samantha went on to play Eponine in Les Mis in the West End, originate the role of Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman: The Musical on Broadway, and play Elsa in the West End production of Frozen from 2021-2024.
Oliver and Samantha will be joined by Ben Joyce (Phillip Carlyle), Vajèn van den Bosch (Jenny Lind) and Malinda Parris (Lettie Lutz). Further casting is still to be announced.
A story and score that captured hearts
A restless maverick refuses the life everyone expects of him. Determined to build the greatest show on earth, he brings together the people the world tried to ignore and creates something far bigger than he ever imagined.
The Greatest Showman is a biographical story loosely based on the life of real showman P.T. Barnum, who rose from poverty to create the world-famous circus featuring marginalised performers in a show that aimed to celebrate individuality and belonging.
The 2017 film achieved huge global success, receiving widespread critical acclaim for its original score. The stage 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, Rewrite the Stars, Never Enough and the Golden Globe Award-winning This Is Me, together with new songs written especially for the musical.
Anne Quart and Andrew Flatt for Disney Theatrical Group said: “It’s rare for a new film musical to capture the world’s imagination in the way The Greatest Showman has - both for its story and record-breaking soundtrack.
“The piece is fearless in its emotion: open-hearted, exuberant, and unapologetically joyous, celebrating those considered outsiders and dreamers. While its storytelling draws on classic traditions, its score is unmistakably of today - bold, infectious songs that feel they were always destined for the stage.”
Performance dates are expected to be announced soon, with tickets released later in the autumn.
Find out more information about the stage production at: thegreatestshowman.co.uk.
