Disney Theatrical Group’s new stage musical based on the hit movie The Greatest Showman is getting its world premiere in the UK.
The show will premiere at the Bristol Hippodrome in the UK in Spring 2026, ahead of planned West End and Broadway runs.
The cast of The Greatest Showman The New Musical are set to rehearse from December 2025, ahead of the Bristol Hippodrome tryout around March or April 2026.
In August last year Disney confirmed at their annual D23 Disney fan event in California that The Greatest Showman would be heading to the stage. News about the show first leaked in October 2023, when Disney had held a workshop in the US for the new show.
In terms of a London premiere, the Theatre Royal Drury Lane is rumoured to be the target West End venue.
A casting search is now underway across the UK and Ireland for this brand-new production, finding new talent to play the roles originated by the stars of the film, including Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, and Zendaya.
Open auditions will take place in March and April 2025 in Dublin, Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, Exeter, Newcastle and London.
The stage adaptation of The Greatest Showman will be directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw (Aladdin, The Book of Mormon), and features the Academy Award-nominated songs of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, including “The Greatest Show,” “A Million Dreams,” “Come Alive,” “Rewrite the Stars” and “This Is Me”.
Pasek and Paul have also written five new songs for the show, including new tune “Show Goes On”.
The show’s book will be by Emmy nominee Tim Federle (Ferdinand, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Tuck Everlasting).
The 2017 movie of The Greatest Showman was directed by Michael Gracey, written by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon based on a story by Jenny Bicks.
It has long been rumoured that Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land, Dear Evan Hansen), who wrote the original songs for The Greatest Showman movie, are heavily involved in the project. Last year Pasek and Paul attended further workshops in London for the show, with rumours that Samantha Barks (Frozen, Oliver!, Les Miserables), and Oliver Tompsett (& Juliet, In Dreams) were involved.
Casey Nicholaw is also helming the summer 2025 production of Hercules at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
The IP for The Greatest Showman has come to Disney via their acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019, including 21st Century’s vast catalogue of movies and associated rights.
There have been big changes over the last few years at Disney Theatrical Group, the US and international producers of Disney’s stage musicals including London mega-hit Disney’s The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre, recent UK & Ireland tour of Disney’s Aladdin, and the forthcoming Disney presentation of Hercules, coming to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane next year, from June 2025.
Veteran Disney president of theatrical, Thomas Schumacher, 65, has stepped down and into a new creative role within the organisation, as Chief Creative Officer. His two deputies, Anne Quart and Andrew Flatt, jointly run the division, with Anne Quart as Executive Vice President Producing and Development and Executive Producer, and Andrew Flatt as Managing Director.
Schumacher has built up Disney Theatrical Productions, now Group, from the start of the business, and became the division’s President in 1999. He has worked closely with London-based producer Cameron Mackintosh over a number of years, primarily over their shared producing of Mary Poppins.
Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular
The announcement of the new stage musical of The Greatest Showman is not to be confused current London show Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular.
This new show at pop-up venue the Empress Museum is a circus experience inspired by The Greatest Showman movie, featuring the hit songs from the blockbuster movie including The Greatest Show, Never Enough, Come Alive, This Is Me, and From Now On, but with a completely separate story and characters.
More about The Greatest Showman The New Musical
What They Said
Benj Pasek and Justin Paul said in a statement: “We are continuously surprised and moved by how much the songs from The Greatest Showman seem to have resonated around the world, and to now have the opportunity to bring them to the stage is truly thrilling.”
Andrew Flatt, Anne Quart and Thomas Schumacher for Disney Theatrical Group said: “It has been decades since an original film musical has been so passionately and broadly embraced as The Greatest Showman, and Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s songs have found a treasured place in the world’s heart. Audiences responded to the film’s joyful energy, and themes of self-discovery, community, and the families we create. We’re excited to bring it to the stage as a purely theatrical piece and the natural next chapter in its extraordinary life. We cannot wait to see how this incredibly talented team of creatives elevate the beloved work still further. Tim Federle is among the new generation of Disney storytellers, returning to Broadway after remarkable success in film and television. Casey Nicholaw, a longtime key contributor to Disney Theatrical Group’s success, has an unrivalled genius for combining joy and heart in his award-winning stage work. Now we begin the search for the performers who will bring this story to life on stage.”
Also Booking
Book tickets to The Lion King in London
Book tickets to Hercules in London
Book tickets to Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular in London
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