The Greatest Showman, the Disney Theatrical Group musical stage adaptation of the 2017 film, will premiere in London’s West End at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in Spring 2027, Disney announced at the D23 event in Anaheim last night.
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Also revealed was the cast: The Greatest Showman will star Oliver Tompsett as P.T. Barnum, Samantha Barks as Charity Barnum, Ben Joyce as Phillip Carlyle, Vajèn van den Bosch as Jenny Lind and Malinda Parris as Lettie Lutz. Further casting is to be announced.
The musical had a sold-out, pre-West End run at The Bristol Hippodrome earlier this year. Deadline first reported last year that the project was headed to the West End with an eye toward Broadway. Disney has not disclosed plans for the latter.
The stage adaptation features songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land, Dear Evan Hansen), a book by Tim Federle (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series), and direction and choreography by Casey Nicholaw (Mean Girls, The Prom).
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Based on the 20th Century Studios motion picture with story by Jenny Bicks, The Greatest Showman is the first 20th Century Studios (formerly 20th Century Fox) title to be adapted for the stage by Disney Theatrical Group. The Seelig Group, a producer of the original film, is also a producer of the musical.
The synopsis: Inspired by the life of famed showman P.T. Barnum, the story follows Barnum as he sets out to create a spectacular new form of entertainment, assembling a troupe of performers and outsiders who become an unlikely family.
The musical will feature the Grammy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated songs by EGOT winners Pasek and Paul , including “The Greatest Show,” “A Million Dreams,” “Come Alive,” “Rewrite the Stars,” “Never Enough” and the Globe-winning “This Is Me,” together with new songs written especially for the musical.
Calling the musical “open-hearted, exuberant and unapologetically joyous,” Anne Quart and Andrew Flatt of Disney Theatrical Group said in a statement, “The show is born of a collaboration with an incredible group of artists. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul return with the songs audiences will know and love, alongside exhilarating new numbers created especially for the stage; Tim Federle’s book captures a heartfelt love of theatre and show business; and two-time Tony Award-winning Casey Nicholaw directs an extraordinary cast led by the incomparable Oliver Tompsett and Samantha Barks.”
In the central role of legendary carnival huckster P.T. Barnum is Tompsett, whose stage credits include A Knight’s Tale, & Juliet in both Broadway and London, Pretty Woman, Kinky Boots, The World Goes Round, Rock of Ages and others. Film credits include Show Dogs and The Hard Way.
Barks has appeared in Les Misérables, Frozen, Chess, The Last Five Years, among others, and was one of the participants on the BBC series I’d Do Anything and won the 2025 series of The Masked Singer. Film credits include Tomorrow Morning, For Love or Money, Bitter Harvest and Les Misérables.
Joyce’s theater work includes The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Back to the Future and Jersey Boys. Television work includes The Power.
Van den Bosch appeared in Disney’s Frozen, Mary Poppins and Tarzan as well as Les Misérables, Kinky Boots, Grease and The Sound of Music. She received the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award for ‘Favourite TV Star’ in 2017 and film work includes Eb, Bledders, Onze Jongens 3 and First Kiss.
Parris’ theater credits include Hadestown, Hercules, & Juliet and others, with film credits including Wicked and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.
The creative team includes Alex Lacamoire (Music Supervision, Incidental & Dance Music Arrangements and Orchestrations), David Korins (Scenic Design), Gregg Barnes and Sky Switser (Costume Design); Natasha Katz (Lighting Design); Peter Hylenski (Sound Design), George Reeve (Video Design), Lorenzo Pisoni (Circus Creation & Design), Josh Marquette (Hair & Wig Design), Milagros Medina-Cerdeira (Make-Up Design), Jeremy Chernick (Special Effects Design), and Skylar Fox (Illusions Design). Justin Paul is also providing Vocal and Incidental Music Arrangements.
In the film, the characters announced today were played by Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Zac Efron, Rebecca Ferguson and Keala Settle.
Hayden Panettiere poses nearly naked in bathtub in ‘tearful’ final campaign before her death
Hayden Panettiere appears almost naked in a bathtub for an emotional PETA campaign filmed weeks before her death at the age of 36.
The Heroes and Nashville star died in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday. First responders could not revive her after attending the property. Authorities are still investigating Hayden’s death, with no official cause confirmed.
PETA released the finished campaign on Tuesday. In the video, Hayden uses the confined space of a bathtub to illustrate the conditions dolphins and whales face in marine amusement parks.
The newly released PETA film provides a glimpse of Hayden in one of her final campaigns, using her public profile to support a cause she had championed since her teenage years.
One of Hayden Panettiere’s final campaigns for PETA
In the campaign video, Hayden looks directly at the camera as she says: “Imagine spending your entire life in a bathtub. That’s what it’s like for dolphins and whales in tiny tanks at marine amusement parks.”
The actress then asks viewers to consider how captivity may affect the animals. She says: “Can you imagine their frustration, their trauma, their depression? All that’s important and crucial for their well-being is ripped away.”
Hayden also tells viewers: “We can end this. You and me.”
She concludes the video: “Together, we can end this cruelty. Thank you.”
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Her work for marine animals stretched back almost two decades. In 2007, Hayden joined activists confronting dolphin hunters off the coast of Taiji in Japan. The events featured in the 2009 documentary The Cove, which won the Oscar for best documentary feature.
She also worked with the Whaleman Foundation and regularly spoke out against marine mammal captivity.
PETA pays tribute to Hayden Panettiere
A PETA representative told Page Six that the campaign shoot took place on July 22. The representative also described Hayden as “wonderful” on set.
PETA senior vice president Lisa Lange later honoured the actress in a statement. She said: “Hayden Panettiere became a household name playing a hero on TV, but to animals, she was the real deal.”
Lange added: “The world has lost a kind soul and the animals a fierce ally, and everyone at PETA holds her memory close.”
The charity described the video as Hayden’s “last act of kindness” and released it as a tribute to her years of animal welfare work.
Hayden Panettiere’s cause of death remains unconfirmed
Authorities have not established Hayden’s official cause of death. TMZ reported that a 911 call referenced a possible overdose and cardiac arrest, but toxicology findings remain outstanding.
Officials said an autopsy found “no signs of trauma” that would have contributed to her death.
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