REVIEW: ‘Barnum’ is high-flying fun at Ivoryton Playhouse

Published: Thursday, December 16, 2010

By BONNIE GOLDBERG, Press Correspondent

From The Middletown Press

Click to enlarge

The big top beckons, the clowns entice, the acrobats tumble, the dog “Minnie” pirouettes and it is time to run away to the circus. You won’t have to travel too far because the Ivoryton Playhouse has a delightful version of “Barnum” for your family entertainment holiday fun.

Until Sunday, Dec. 19, this colorful musical, with book by Mark Bramble, music by Cy Coleman and lyrics by Michael Stewart, will tell the tale of one Phineas Taylor Barnum, that master maestro, king of humbug, prince of flim-flam and sultan of showmanship. P. T. Barnum knew how to slice baloney and stuff it into six- foot submarine sandwiches like he was serving the finest gourmet meal and his audiences gobbled it up and came back for seconds and thirds.

R. Bruce Connelly embodies the super salesman of sights, wonders and marvels, who could create mystery and magic over Joice Heth (Marianne Hile) whom he billed as the 160-year-old nanny for George Washington, Tom Thumb (Justin Boudreau), the 25 inch man he named Captain, Jumbo the Elephant and Jenny Lind (Danielle Cohen) who was his Swedish nightingale and so much more.

All through his schemes and ventures, P. T. Barnum had his long suffering and supportive wife Chairy, a sweet Beverley J. Galpin, faithfully at his side, no matter how wild his ideas or how disasterous the consequences. Jacqueline Hubbard directs this three rings of circus fun with aplomb and fills the cast with wonderful young people as clowns, jugglers, dancers, gymnasts and aerialists (Michael Viau and Sara Stelzer), all under the banner of ringmaster Scott Wasserman.

For tickets ($30, seniors $28, students $20, children $15), call the Ivoryton Playhouse 103 Main Street, Ivoryton at (860) 767-7318 or online at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org. Performances are tonight, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. An extra treat is the festival of lights that illuminates the village of Ivoryton for the holidays.

Come for a formal introduction to P. T. Barnum, Bridgeport’s favorite son, a showman, an inventor of sideshow spectacles, a politician and the creator of the greatest show on earth, the Barnum and Bailey Circus.

Join the Circus Like You Wanted to…

Join the circus like you wanted to when you were a kid.  This cast and crew photo definitely shows it could be fun.

The Cast and Crew of the Musical Barnum

Things You May not Know about P.T. Barnum

R. Bruce Connelly as P.T. Barnum and Beverley Galpin as Chairy. Photo by Anne Hudson.

Barnum celebrated his 200th Birthday this year. He was born on July 5, 1810.

He was the most influential showman of the 19th Century.

He was the first “show business” millionaire.

He is quoted as saying

Every crowd has a silver lining.
P. T. Barnum

and

On his deathbed he was quoted saying

How were the receipts today at Madison Square Garden?
~~ P. T. Barnum, entrepreneur, d. 1891

This musical is colorful and bold, just as Phineas Taylor Barnum was in his day.

Hugh Jackman is set to play P.T. Barnum in a movie musical coming out in 2011, with Anne Hathaway playing Jenny Lind “The Swedish Nightingale“.

Come follow the band to the circus and be humbugged. The play is directed by Jacqueline Hubbard and is showing from December 9 to December 19. Take a break from being humbugged with holiday shopping and sit and relax and enjoy the show because we would love to see you there.

The playhouse also supports the local Boy Scouts and are selling ornaments on their behalf. It would make a nice stocking stuffer or something nice to hang on your own tree.

Have a happy holiday!

Life’s a circus in Ivoryton Playhouse’s “Barnum”

By Kristina Dorsey, The Day, New London, Conn.

Dec. 09–When you enter the Ivoryton Playhouse over the next 10 days, you’ll feel as though you’re heading into the big top.

Even before the actual show starts, the building will boast a definite carnival atmosphere. Magicians will create illusions in the lobby. Jugglers and people making balloon animals will be moving around the theater.

It all serves to set the tone for the main event: “Barnum.”

Ivoryton Playhouse is putting on this musical about Bridgeport’s own P.T. Barnum, the showman of showmen. The storyline follows his circus-centric creativity, naturally, but also his romance with wife Charity.

For the Ivoryton Playhouse folks, choosing to stage “Barnum” in December was a conscious decision. Director Jacqui Hubbard says, “We wanted to do something different for Christmas. … P.T. Barnum is from Connecticut, and the whole idea of a circus at Christmas was kind of fun.”

“Barnum,” which ran on Broadway from 1980 to 1982, features music by Cy Coleman (whose many credits include “Sweet Charity”), lyrics by Michael Stewart and book by Mark Bramble .

“It’s really a show about color,” Hubbard says. “P.T. Barnum was an incredibly colorful man.”

The reference to color is literal. Wife Charity (played here by Beverley Galpin) is the sensible one and wears browns and grays. She wants her husband to get a job at Bridgeport Clockworks, while Barnum (played by Bruce Connelly) wants to light up the world.

Connelly, who plays Barkley the dog on “Sesame Street,” made his Ivoryton debut earlier this year in “Finian’s Rainbow.” Hubbard says the actor can ably convey Barnum’s larger-than-life personality and develop a great repartee with theatergoers (the character of Barnum often talks directly to the audience).

“Barnum” is staged in a circus ring, peopled at Ivoryton with all the appropriate high-flying figures — a trapeze artist, aerialists on silks, tumblers.

The playhouse’s December production is always its community show, with lots of local folks involved. The tumblers include local girls who are gymnasts. The trapeze artist is someone who just moved from the West Coast and had given up the trapeze to become a fireman.

“Barnum,” Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main St., Ivoryton; opens tonight and runs through Dec. 19; 7:30 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. and 2 p.m. Wed. and Sun.; $30 ($28 seniors, $15 kids); (860) 767-7318, ivorytonplayhouse.org.

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Barnum in Ivoryton

The Ivoryton Playhouse presents

Barnum

The Greatest Show on Earth!

Pictured: R. Bruce Connelly* as Barnum and Beverley Galpin as his wife, Chairy. Photo by Anne Hudson.

Ivoryton: Put a little circus in your Christmas with the Ivoryton Playhouse production of Barnum, the musical story of the Connecticut’s own P.T. Barnum and The Greatest Show on Earth! Join this colorful cast of aerialists, jugglers, clowns and even a performing pooch as they tell the story of the life of P.T. Barnum, his discovery of General Tom Thumb - the world’s Smallest Man;  the Swedish Nightingale, Jenny Lind and the Amazing Barnum and Bailey circus.

If you have kids, or you are still a kid at heart, you won’t want to miss Barnum – a heartwarming musical and perfect for the whole family!

Barnum opens on December 9th and runs thru December 19th for 2 weeks only. Performance times are Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2pm. Evening performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm. Tickets are $30 for adults, $28 for seniors, $20 for students and $15 for children and are available by calling the Playhouse box office at 860-767-7318or by visiting our website at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org (Group rates are available by calling the box office for information.) The Playhouse is located at 103 Main Street in Ivoryton.

*Denotes member of Actors Equity
Members of the press are welcome at any performance.
Please call ahead for tickets.

If You Missed the Ivoryton Christmas Block Party and Illuminations

If you missed the Ivoryton Christmas Block Party and Illuminations here are some photos from the event taken by the Ivoryton Playhouse.

 

 

 

The Gazebo covered in lights

More of Ivoryton covered in lights

Ivoryton illuminated in lights

Here are some images from the event.

Ivoryton Library illuminated in lights

Beverley Galpin d is leaving the theatre, after the Barnum rehearsal, to join the carol singers

At 5:45 pm there was carol singing outside of the Playhouse. Clowns and circus folk from the upcoming play “Barnum” were dressed in costume for the event in celebration.

At Aggies’s Village Restaurant people who attended received hot dogs, chili and hot cider. There was also cookie decorating.

There was letter writing to Santa at the Ivoryton Library.

Oh, and here comes Santa

Ready to visit with the children at the Gazebo.