By Dale King
In his day, master showman Phineas Taylor Barnum could probably have followed you into a revolving door and come out ahead of you.
Such was the reputation of the legendary P.T. Barnum, fast-talking wheeler-dealer, circus icon and consummate con man whose life is celebrated in the frantic and festive musical, Barnum, now playing at the Lake Worth Playhouse.
The staff at the downtown theatrical venue has gone all out to give the stage a colorful circus-style appearance, with trapezes crossed between two large poles. The side walls are populated with animal images. Add to that an energetic and youthful cast that includes a juggler, a unicycle rider, stilt walkers, clowns, a mime and dancers galore, dressed in bright yellow and orange tights, and singers – lots of singers with wonderful voices.
Director Hal Johnstone, an actor and former drama teacher, has gathered up a bevy of performers from the Lake Worth Playhouse production of The 1940s Radio Hour last December and recast them in this Barnum blitz. Andrew Spinelli ― memorable as the soldier about to leave for the battlefront in Radio Hour ― is back, this time in the title role. The young but skilled veteran of many musical theater productions and runner-up at the Wellington Idol talent competition brings to the role the full-throttle exuberance and energy people associate with the no-holds-barred showman who created “the greatest show on earth.”
Diane Tyminski, fresh from Radio Hour, Hairspray and Shout!, is delightful and charming as P.T.’s wife, Chairy (short for Charity), whose dedication to her somewhat unfocused, constantly risk-taking husband, is admirable. P.T. often tests Chairy’s patience, but she holds her own. Her tolerance for his shenanigans underlies the tremendous love Chairy feels for her husband ― and underscores Tyminski’s dedication to her role.
Barnum has been around for more than 30 years. Glenn Close played Chairy in the Broadway premiere in 1980. Jim Dale won several awards for his performance as the all-encompassing showman. The comedy then went on to London in 1981 where Michael Crawford took the stage as the elite circus master.
The musical follows Barnum from the mid-1830s to the mid-1880s as he plods through show biz hardships, mostly under the stabilizing influence of his wife. It’s a purely American story of capitalistic impulse. The score by composer Cy Coleman and lyricist Michael Stewart firmly supports the circus theme.
Perhaps the best-known song is Come Follow the Band, the opening number of Act II, sung by Barnum, the ringmaster and the chorus. P.T. takes the stage alone to vocalize There’s a Sucker Born Ev’ry Minute, a phrase attributed to him, though some historians say they were not originally his words.
Barnum and Chairy combine for several tunes, among them the lovely I Like Your Style, which celebrates their differences. The score includes the wonderfully bluesy lament, Black and White, which puts Cerina Anderson and her amazing voice at center stage.
The show introduces the packed gallery to folks who were actually associated with Barnum: Joice Heth (also portrayed by Cerina Anderson), billed as “the Oldest Woman in the World,” General Tom Thumb (Jason Ziev) ― “25 inches from head to crown” ― and opera singer Jenny Lind (Sarah Dreben). Michael Hopkins and Larry Parker do multiple duty, portraying three characters each. Pip Thibeaux takes on two roles. Leandre Thivierge stands out ― literally ― as the mime.
The stunning actress and singer Dreben deserves accolades for her soaring operatic voice and willowy blonde looks, which evoke the ones that earned Jenny Lind the title of “The Swedish Nightingale.” Her appearance is brief, but important, since she was apparently the woman involved in Barnum’s only marital indiscretion. Dreben’s beautiful voice laments their parting in Love Makes Such Fools of Us.
But in her truly stabilizing way, Chairy joins hands and hearts with P.T. ― no questions asked.
Barnum is being staged through April 28 at the Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave., Lake Worth. Tickets are available by calling the box office at 561-586-6410. The show wraps up the theater’s 60th season. One play is scheduled this summer, the Tony Award-winning In the Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical look at a vibrant community in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood. It runs from July 11-28. Ticket prices range from $23 to $35.