Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular reveals Earl’s Court Big Top venue in London

Producers of Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular have announced the London venue for the premiere of the show this September 2024.

Come Alive! was announced last month, and is inspired by the 20th Century Fox Motion Picture The Greatest Showman. Come Alive! will feature all of the hit songs by Pasek and Paul from The Greatest Showman movie, including ‘This Is Me’, ‘Rewrite the Stars’, ‘A Million Dreams’, and more.

The show is set to open at the Empress Museum in London’s Earls Court on 23 September 2024.

Producers have been working closely with the Earls Court Development Company (ECDC) on the venue, whose mission is to “bring the wonder back” to Earls’ Court. The ECDC revealed in March 2024 that Phase One of the 40-acre redevelopment of Earl’s Court will include an anchor cultural venue, to be completed by 2026.

The Come Alive! venue will be a 700-seater Big Top, in a show where circus meets musical theatre, combining international circus stars including Cirque de Demain Medal Winners and Cirque du Soleil alumni, plus musical theatre talent from the West End. Specific casting is to be announced.

The event will also have an interactive pre-show experience, that will include close-up performances, and a range of food and drinks on offer.

Earls Court Development Company (ECDC) Cultural Strategy - Artists impression of possible cultural venues. Copyright ECDC — *Earls Court Development Company (ECDC) Cultural Strategy – Artists impression of possible cultural venues. Copyright ECDC*

Details of the story for the show are yet to be announced, although based on a recent Come Alive! casting notice, the story will deviate from the movie, and centre on Max, who is in her early 20’s and dreams of owning and producing the most exciting circus of her generation. Other characters include JT, who is a larger than life, quintessential circus Master of Ceremonies.

Hammerstein told The Times today that in terms of storyline, Come Alive! will have a contemporary setting: “We are not doing a dramatic musical version of the film but will be taking these songs, reordering them, bringing in new characters and setting the show today. We will be honouring the ancestors of that show but really telling a fresh story.”

Come Alive! will be directed by Drama Desk Award-winner, Creative Director Simon Hammerstein. Hammerstein, the grandson of lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II of Rodgers & Hammerstein fame, is co-founder of ‘theatre of varieties’ The Box nightclub, and creator of behind Usher’s ‘My Way’ Las Vegas Residency.

Hammerstein is joined in the creative team by Music Producer and Olivier Award-nominated Matthew Brind (Paddington 2, Just For One Day, Legally Blonde), Lead Choreographer Jerry Reeve (Taylor Swift, The Queen’s Jubilee Platinum Party At The Palace) and Emmy Award-nominated Lighting Designer Adam Bassett for Woodroffe Basset Design (The Rolling Stones – ‘SIXTY’ Tour 2022, London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony, Adele – Live).

The Costume Designer for the show will be Susan Kulkarni; with Co-Costume Designer Martina Trottmann; Art Director Mika Handley; Performance Director Bryn Harris; Creative Writer Bells Pendergast; Choreographer Lukas Mcfarlane; Musical Supervision Chris Ma; Music Producer Richard Vanryne; Lighting Designer Adam Bassett For Woodroffe Bassett Design; Sound Designer Luke Swaffield; Circus Consultant Jack Marsh; and Creative Producer Andrea Moccia.

The show is produced by Outside The Box Amusements and TSG Entertainment.

Tickets go on general sale on 18 July at 10am.

Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular is playing at the Empress Museum, Empress Place, London, SW6 1TT from 23 September 2024.

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Also see: Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular – Everything You Need To Know

Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular

Empress Museum, London

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