Marcus Brigstocke and Laura Pitt-Pulford to Lead BARNUM at Menier Chocolate Factory

The Menier Chocolate Factory today announced casting for their forthcoming production of Barnum. Marcus Brigstocke (P.T. Barnum) and Laura Pitt-Pulford (Charity Barnum) lead the company, with Tupele Dorgu (Joice Heth), Harry Francis (Tom Thumb) and Celinde Schoenmaker (Jenny Lind) and Danny Collins, Eamonn Cox, Rosie Fletcher, Ainsley Hall Ricketts, Courtney Hows, Bethany Huckle, Philip Marriott, Dominic Owen and Lucie-Mae Summer. Full casting will be announced shortly. Gordon Greenberg's production opens on 5 December, with previews from 25 November, and runs until 3 March 2018.

Roll up, Roll up, for the Greatest Show on Earth coming to the Menier this Christmas!

Barnum tells the story of P.T. Barnum, the Greatest Showman on Earth, who combines razzle-dazzle with charm and brass to sell "humbug" to cheering crowds. A joyful and moving musical portrait of the nineteenth century's greatest show-biz legend, Barnum is a colourful, dynamic spectacle full of circus, side-show legends and heart.

With music by Cy Coleman (Sweet Charity and The Life), lyrics by Michael Stewart (book writer of Hello Dolly! and Mack and Mabel; and co-adaptor of 42nd Street), and book by Mark Bramble (co-author of 42nd Street and director of the current revival), this Tony Award-winning musical premièred on Broadway in 1980.

Marcus Brigstocke plays P.T. Barnum - he previously appeared in the Menier's production of Fully Committed at the Edinburgh Festival. Also a comedian and writer, his other theatre work includes Oklahoma! (BBC Proms), Peter Pan (New Wimbledon Theatre), Spamalot (Harold Pinter Theatre and tour), The Railway Children (Waterloo), God Collar (Vaudeville Theatre) and Get a Life, Help Yourself, The Award Winning Show and The Museum of Everything (Edinburgh Festival). For television, The Joy of Techs, Sorry I've Got No Head, The 11 O'Clock Show, The Late Edition, Apocalypse Tube, King Stupid and The Savages; and for film, Never Land, Beyond the Sea, Love Actually, Piccadilly Jim and Telstar.

Laura Pitt-Pulford plays Charity Barnum. Her theatre credits include Nell Gwynn (ETT & Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, UK tour), Platinum (Hampstead Theatre), Side Show, Mack and Mabel, Parade (Southwark Playhouse), Flowers for Mrs Harris (Sheffield Crucible), Oliver!, The Sound of Music, Piaf, Hello Dolly! (Curve), The Smallest Show on Earth (UK tour), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre), The Return of the Soldier (Jermyn Street Theatre), The Light Princess (National Theatre), A Man of No Importance (Salisbury Playhouse), Sweet Charity (Belfast MAC), The Little Prince (Lyric Belfast), Guys and Dolls (Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich, Clwyd Theatre and Salisbury Playhouse) and Copacabana (Watermill Theatre, Newbury). For television, her work includes Father Brown and Free Rein.

Tupele Dorgu plays Joice Heth. For theatre her work includes First Words Monologues season (Octagon, Bolton), Legally Blonde (Curve), Teechers (Wakefield Theatre), Noises Off (Liverpool Royal Court), Educating Rita (Garrick Theatre), Chicago (UK tour), Mamma Mia! (Prince of Wales Theatre) and Three Minute Heroes (Belgrade Theatre). Her television credits include The Coroner, Hollyoaks, Billionaire Boy, Cucumber, All at Sea, Trying Again, MI High, Preston Passion, The Case, The Accused (BBC); Keely James in Waterloo Road, and as series regular Kelly Crabtree in Coronation Street.

Harry Francis plays Tom Thumb. His theatre work includes Fiddler on The Roof, Amadeus (Chichester Festival Theatre), The Book of Mormon (Prince of Wales Theatre), Cats (London Palladium and Blackpool Opera House), Matthew Bourne's Edward Scissorhands (Sadler's Wells and UK tour), Cool Rider (Duchess Theatre), Chicago (Curve), A Chorus Line (London Palladium and Tel Aviv), Wicked (Apollo Victoria), and UK tours of Hairspray and West Side Story.

Celinde Schoenmaker plays Jenny Lind. Her theatre work includes The Phantom of the Opera (Her Majesty's Theatre), Les Miserables (Queen's Theatre), and an international production of Love Story.

Gordon Greenberg directs. He co-wrote and directed the Broadway stage adaptation of Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn at Studio 54 for Roundabout Theatre Company and Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Guys And Dolls (Chichester Festival Theatre, Savoy Theatre and Phoenix Theatre), Working (59 E 59 in New York - also adapted), Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well... (Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Award nominations - also adapted), Johnny Baseball (Williamstown), Tangled (Disney), Blue Sky Boys (Capital Rep.), Luck Be A Lady (Asolo), Pirates! Or Gilbert and Sullivan Plunder'd (co-creator, Huntington, Paper Mill, Goodspeed, MUNY), Band Geeks! (also co-writer, Goodspeed), The Baker's Wife (Paper Mill, Goodspeed), 1776 (Paper Mill), Floyd Collins (Signature), Yentl (Asolo), and Half A Sixpence (Goodspeed).

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