What intrigued me more than the Barnum story is the backstory about how the movie was made. The Greatest Showman was in development for seven and a half years as many people worked to get the studio to take the risk of green-lighting an original movie musical.
First-time director (Michael Gracey) wanted to hire composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, two unknowns then in their twenties with no film experience. Gracey “told a fib” about the composers’ credentials, leading a studio executive to believe that they had won a Tony for James and the Giant Peach – a show that has not been on Broadway. Fortunately, the executive was oblivious to the fabrication and gave his approval for the duo. Not only did Pasek and Paul write engaging music for the movie, during the long years of Greatest Showman development they also wrote the Oscar-winning score for La La Land and the Tony-winning music for Dear Evan Hansen!
P.T. Barnum would have been proud of the hutzpah and persistence the players took to get The Greatest Showman made. The studio took a chance, the director went out on a limb and the whole movie was built on faith. I recommend seeing it (in the theatre on a grand screen as it is meant to be viewed) – not just for the pure entertainment value, but also as a reminder that sometimes we all need to take risks and follow our dreams.
Learn more from Hugh Jackman’s interview: http://people.com/movies/the-true-story-behind-hugh-jackmans-the-greatest-showman/
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