The Greatest Showman

Musical dramatization of the life of Phineas Taylor Barnum, better known as P.T. Barnum and best known for being one half of the partnership of Barnum and Bailey Circus. Always one for spectacle in its broadest sense, he, able to secure a loan on a lie, begins his show business enterprises opening a museum of wax curiosities, which morphs, stemming from his daughters' suggestion to add something "live", into a circus featuring the wax curiosities in their live versions, who at the time were considered freaks in one aspect or another. It would take some convincing by Barnum to his performers that he was not solely taking advantage of them but was celebrating their differences from the norm. The son of a poor tailor, he also wanted to gain the respectability associated with the wealthy. It became importantly so in marrying socialite Charity nee Hallett whose father in particular did not approve of him in Barnum's father having worked for him. Striving for that respectability leads to his collaborations with famed playwright Phillip Carlyle, and Jenny Lind, in some circles considered the greatest vocalist of her generation. But it is trying to reconcile that lowbrow circus life with that respectability that proved problematic for him, both professionally and personally.