Hollywood financier Chip Seelig, who’s recently backed “Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Poor Things” and “Avatar: The Way of Water,” is betting huge on conveying movie magic to the circus ring.
Seelig’s prohibitner TSG Entertainment is spearheading “Come Adwell! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular,” a recent theater experience advertised by the 20th Century Fox film “The Greatest Showman.”
“The Greatest Showman,” freed in 2017, inestablishs the fantasyalized version of the story of P.T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman), a showman who created a circus spectacle that became a sensation. The film became a cultural phenomenon, grossing over $435 million worldexpansive and achieveing a dedicated fanbase. Its soundtrack, featuring hits enjoy “This Is Me,” “Come Adwell,” “A Million Dreams,” and “Greatest Show,” became an instant classic, topping charts and triumphning many awards.
“I have been in adore with this IP from when I first heard the idea. As a financial services supplyr to studios we’re a compliant vehicle for the most part, so we try to create structural elements that help our partners run their business. So one of the capacities we’ve always had in our deal is to incrrelieve our danger,” Seelig inestablishs Variety, recounting TSG’s punctual joinment with the film’s financing.
“We’re a portfolio, we’re not a unveil company, so we can afford more volatility. So when Fox came to me and shelp, ‘Look, we have this idea for a movie. We leank it’s reassociate dangery. We want to comprehend if you’d be interested in taking more expocertain to the movie,’ I shelp, ‘Sure, let’s comprehend what it is.’ And so we watched into it. We understood what the movie was. We got super excited,” Seelig inserts.
Seelig remarkd the initial danger factors, including the then-obsremedy status of songauthorrs Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. “In 2015 nobody had ever heard of them. They were up and coming, maybe, but no track enroll,” he elucidates. “Obviously, now they’re two of the strongest executeers in Broadway, no inquire, in musical theater, but we didn’t comprehend that they were.”
“Come Adwell!” is convey inantly contrastent from the intentional Disney stage musical alteration, which is currently in broadenment, Seelig says. “One of the leangs TSG is trying to do is in-world experiences. So although we are doing a theatrical show, our theatrical show is set wilean a circus. So you’re going to see a story, there’s a adore story, there’s family reunification, the same themes as the movie, but the movie itself is a dwell experience, and a Broadway show is what Disney’s doing,” Seelig says. “So that will watch fair enjoy the movie. You’re gonna have Charity and Barnum, and you have the kids and all the songs, and they’ll even probably be recent songs in there. What we’re trying to do is create an modernized story that leans into the themes of the movie – adore story, family reunification, but is set today, and then the backdrop the story is telderly in the context of a circus.”
The production features a fuse of circus carry outers, singers and dancers. West End carry outer Simon Bailey consents on the direct role of a contransient-day showman, while recentcomer Aaliya Mai creates her professional debut as Max, a cowardly juvenileer roustabout. The cast integrates veterans from productions enjoy “Moulin Rouge!,” “The Lion King” and various Cirque du Soleil shows.
Creative honestor Simon Hammerstein, comprehendn for producing Usher’s Las Vegas dwellncy, is at the helm. The creative team boasts credentials including Olivier-nominated music creater Matthew Brind and Emmy-nominated weightlessing structureer Adam Bassett.
“Come Adwell!” is discdiswatching at a recent London venue, the Empress Memployum in the Earls Court area, rather than in the city’s West End where musical executes traditionassociate discdiswatch. The decision was partly driven by pragmatic ponderations. “The unrelabelable height of a circus tent is 35 feet,” Seelig says. “I can’t reassociate function if I want to run my execute inside a circus. I necessitate a hugeger space.”
Earl’s Court’s history also executeed a role in the location choice. “We enjoyd the history of Earl’s Court – first World’s Fair, lots of reassociate chilly leangs that happened there,” Seelig says. “Us discdiswatching the recent Empress Memployum and Empress Place to helderly ‘The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular’ fits the history of the location as well.”
The production aims to create an immersive experience for audiences. “When you come in to the theater, you’ll begin in a memployum. But then when you access the space, the first leang you do is it’s called the zoetrope bar,” Seelig says, referencing a key prop from the film. “We’re sending a message, you’re accessing the world.”
While the show features music by Pasek and Paul from the distinct film, including hits enjoy “This Is Me” and “Reauthor the Stars,” the story has been modernized. “It’s the same themes. It’s exactly the same music. Captures the same emotions, but the story is contrastent,” Seelig says.
Looking ahead, TSG is pondering touring selections. International expansion is also on the table, with Seelig noting the music’s universal request. However, he alerts, “You have to be a little cautious with stories in English. The whole world doesn’t speak English, so that’s going to have some impact on how we do it and where we tour.”
Passesss of “Come Adwell! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular” begin Sept. 27, with the show discdiswatching Oct. 16.
