Roll up! Roll up! The big top’s in town, with Todd McKenney at the helm.
These days the circus may be something of an antiquity, but for its time, the popularity surrounding the big top was akin to a Marvel film release. The early pioneer and entrepreneur of the genre was P T Barnum, whose story is brought to life in the musical aptly named Barnum.
Having first premiered in 1980, the central role has been played by Jim Dale, Michael Crawford and in the original Aussie production, Reg Livermore. As it marks its Australian return, Todd McKenney (The Boy From Oz) has been preparing to take on the historic figure of Barnum, not to mention learning how to walk a tightrope!
“I did a lot of research,” says McKenney. “There’s a lot out there about Barnum from different points of view, including the people who loved him, and those who thought he was just a shark.”
“He actually wrote his autobiography and published it three times. Each time he took stuff out that he thought didn’t present him in the right light. So he did kind of change with the times. I’m actually in two frames of mind about Barnum, because I can see the reasons why people thought he was a charlatan, but I can also see why people loved him. “
“Barnum is synonymous with the circus,” says McKenney. “One thing I leant was that he was the first person to do a matinee performance. He wanted to bring more people into the theatre, and thought he’d do it through getting families with their kids. So he thought of putting on a show in the afternoon. There’s so much to explore with Barnum, as he was a showman through and through. The role shows those characteristics, and that’s what attracted me to it. There’s also that dark side where he just wants to exploit, be famous and make money. So for an actor, the role is quite rich.”
To play the character, McKenney practiced tightrope walking every day, as well as stilt-walking, juggling and practical sessions on magic. But the deeper challenge was within the character itself.
“As far as the character goes, it’s making him likable that’s the real challenge,” says McKenney. “You could easily think he’s just a fast-talking loud mouth and wonder what’s so likeable about him. So there’s a focus on bringing out the reason why people actually liked him. I had to find that he’s got a bit of heart in him, and I’ve found that.”
Also in the cast are Rachael Beck as Barnum’s devoted wife Charity, with Akina Edmonds as Joice Heth, the oldest woman alive, Joshua Reckless as Tom Thumb, Kirby Burgess, the Ringmaster and Suzie Mathers as the songstress ‘Jenny Lind’.
With the book by Mark Bramble, lyrics by Michael Stewart and music by Cy Coleman, the story of the original showman covers the period from 1835 to 1880, in a very old-world era definitely deemed as politically incorrect by today’s standards.
“Barnum was written back in the Seventies, and some of the writing especially to do with women, I think was poorly handled,” says McKenney. “We’ve taken out anything that is disrespectful to women, but left what keeps it truthful to the story. At the end of the day it’s a circus musical and there’s a lot to like in it. Our director Tyran Parke has completely reshaped a significant part of the show and re-orchestrated it with a fresh feel.”
Barnum has won Tony, Drama Desk and Laurence Olivier Awards, although it is totally unrelated to The Greatest Showman, which starred Hugh Jackman as Barnum. As for McKenney, it’s the chance at another great role in a long list of Aussie theatre credits.
“Audiences will be in awe of the performers’ skills,” says McKenney. “It’s a unique show because we’re working with some amazing acrobats and it’s a show like no other around at the moment. I think people will learn a bit of history, especially about Barnum. I urge people to investigate his story, because he’s fascinating!”
Barnum is playing at Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre
For more visit: barnumthemusical.com.au
