Barnum, at the St. James Theatre in New York City, blends circus and a Broadway musical. This is accomplished most successfully, thanks to an. enthusiastic and talented cast along with David Mitchell's Tony Award winning set design.

 

Barnum is a thumbnail musical sketch of the life of the Iegendary P.T. Barnum. Many of his most notable accomposhments are contained within the plot, with the emphasis on entertainment rather than history and drama.   This bias is construed by various critics as either Barnum's greatest strength or weakness. However, historical purists can read the hard facts in P.T. Barnum's biography, published by Harcourt, Brace and Co. in 1923.

The show's only blatant educational point was the meaning of the word "humbug," the foundation of P.T. Barnum's career. In defending his noble art, the master defines "humbug" as the application of "a high polish on the facts." It seems that Mr. Bamum was never without a can of wax.

 

The novel skills of cast members freshens the play with creative eccentricity. Jim Dale excels as P.T. Barnum, utilizing his wide range of talents in a glistening performance. His charisma and exuberance carry the plot.

Glenn Close performs admirably as Chari Barnum, the goodly and loyal New England wife who occasionally shows some spunk of her own. She.persists in affectionately calling Bamum "Phineas" causing one to wonder if the real Bamum didn't cringe at each utterance of the word.

 

Outside of the two leading characters, Barnum is fundamentally a company show. Supporting characters supply energetic talent to keep Barnum moving faster than the audience can watch. The pace is so rapid and smooth that it seems impossible to believe that two hours have passed when the finale arrives.

 

Juggling purists would be disappointed with the ease of the juggling moments in Barnum, but director Joe Layton has used juggling effectively from a theatrical standpoint. Juggling is rarely prominent, but serves as a recurrent mood-setter.

 

There are two ensemble juggling scenes along with incidents of plate spinning, club passing, ring passing and juggling of cigar boxes and scarves. Almost every member of the cast juggles at some time, including Chari and P.T. himself.

 

The use of juggling as an integral part of drama is far more significant than the virtuosity displayed.   It serves as a healthy example of the adaptability of juggling to the theatrical arena. Barnum is worth seeing as an example of good entertainment with just a bit of humbug. For those who can't see it on Broadway, the touring company of Barnum opens on May 12 in New Orleans.

An Interview With The Performers

Geno, IJA President, conducted this interview with members of the cast in December. In January, Fred Garver (Garbo), an IJA member, took a role in the show. We hope to get his comments for a future Newsletter.

 

GENO - :I'm curious about your entertainment backgrounds and how you ended up with "Bamum." Was juggling a large part of what most of you did before, or something you picked up for the show?

 

BILL WlTTER: I was with Ringling Brothers Circus for three years, working as a ringmaster and clown. I knew a little bit about juggling before I joined the show, though. I had learned it on my own from a book when I was about seven. I knew the three­ball cascade for a long time, but it wasn't until just before I took off for the circus that I got into clubs.

The circus is where I learned most of what I know.

 

Eddie Jacobs right here taught me a lot when I Joined "Barnum." We do partner juggling in the show. Michael Moshen from the Big Apple Circus taught us a lot, too. We enjoyed working with him. Jim Donlon was one of my teachers, too, back in Clown College when I first went there. I had been an actor on the West Coast, but decided to go off and be a clown with the circus because it was a piece of me that wanted to happen. I had learned to juggle and do back flips plus ride a unicycle and do other crazy things. I found that clowning was a way to do it all. That's why I joined the circus.

 

But the point I wanted to make is that a lot of people then were saying, "Gee, wouldn't it be neat if we could find some way to blend the circus and a stage show all together in one." Everybody always said how hard that would be, but Joe Layton, the director here, gave enough on both sides to find the right mixture and come up with "Barnum." The "Barnum" stage is a great one to work on. You have a lot of space, high ceiling and absolutely no problems in terms of environment.

 

EDDIE JACOBS: I'm from Boston and helped with the Harvard juggling club when it started. Cy and Bounce from Locomotion Vaudeville were my first buddies in juggling. I used to go and visit them all the time during junior and senior high school.

 

Then I came to New York about a year ago. I'm a singer, dancer and actor, but a juggler primarily because that's what I did first. I was once the "Boy Daredevil" juggler in circuses and clubs.