[Updated 13 March 2026]: Get a first look at the new trailer for hit musical Barnum led by TV and West End star Lee Mead (Holby City, Sister Act).

The Casualty and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat star is playing the real-life circus impresario PT Barnum in this major new stage tour of the classic show.

At a glance: Lee Mead is great casting for this new tour of Barnum, and delivers a charismatic, show-stopping performance. The show – and its hummable songs – is much-loved, and has a story that everyone knows from The Greatest Showman.

This production first premiered in 2024 at the Watermill Theatre in Newbury to great critical acclaim, with the Observer hailing the show as a ★★★★★ “dazzling all-singing, all-juggling musical”.

Video: New Barnum trailer

Who are the stars of Barnum?

  • The cast of Barnum features a dynamic ensemble of over 20 actor-musicians playing 150 instruments, and trained acrobats and circus arts.
  • Lee Mead stars in the show as PT Barnum, for all dates up to Southend-on-Sea.
  • From 12 August, West End star Matt Rawle (Les Miserables, Evita) will play PT Barnum.
  • The show also stars Monique Young (Mary Poppins) as Charity Barnum, Penny Ashmore (Dr Strangelove) as Jenny Lind, Dominique Planter (The Lion King) as Joice Heth, and Fergus Rattigan (The Wizard of Oz) as General Tom Thumb.
  • The ensemble for the show features Elena Bluck, Gianpaolo Candelaria, Eamonn Cox, James Gill, Jessica Jolleys, Kevin Oliver Jones, Emma Jane Morton, Sophie Precious Muringu, Lennin Nelson-McClure, Emily Odunsi, André Rodrigues, Ben Scott, Laura Sillett, Tom Sowinski, Tom Sterling and Niki Tsonopoulou.

Barnum photos

Also take a look at the first production photos for Barnum.

Photos by Pamela Raith

Oti Mabuse in the creative team

Barnum is directed by Jonathan O’Boyle (Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical), with choreography by Strictly Come Dancing’s Oti Mabuse.

Joining Jonathan O’Boyle and Oti Mabuse in the creative team are set and costume design by Lee Newby, musical supervision, arrangements and orchestrations by George Dyer, lighting design by Jai Morjaria, sound design by Tom Marshall, and circus direction by Amy Panter. Matt Nicholson is associate choreographer and Nick Lodge is associate sound designer.

Barnum – Rehearsal photos

Photos by Mark Senior

More about Barnum

  • Barnum’s rousing score boasts music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Michael Stewart and a book by Mark Bramble (42nd Street).
  • The show features a number of classic show tunes including “There’s a Sucker Born Every Minute,” “Join the Circus,” “The Colors of My Life” and “Come Follow The Band”.
  • The story is centred on the extraordinary life of the 19th century’s greatest showbiz legend, PT Barnum, tracing the career of America’s greatest showman from 1835 to the year he joined James A. Bailey, to forming The Greatest Show On Earth.

Plan your Barnum visit

  • Barnum is visiting a host of theatres across the UK and Ireland, including Portsmouth, Cardiff, Aylesbury, Bradford, Cheltenham, Dublin, Birmingham, Sheffield, Swindon, Woking, Nottingham, Hull, Blackpool, Bournemouth, London, Southend-on-Sea, and Newcastle.
  • Lee Mead stars as PT Barnum for all dates up to Southend-on-Sea.
  • From the Newcastle dates, from 12 August 2026, West End star Matt Rawle is PT Barnum.
  • All Barnum tour dates and booking information

UPDATED: This post was first published on 23 January 2026 with rehearsal photos; Updated 20 February 2026 with production photos; Updated 13 March 2026 with the new trailer for Barnum

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Main photo: Barnum starring Lee Mead. Photo by Pamela Raith

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