COME ALIVE!

COME ON! COME IN! COME ALIVE!!

COME ALIVE! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular

HERS Review | His & Hers Media

Tickets supplied by Pretzel Communications.

I nearly didn’t go tonight.

I’ve been feeling pretty down and low lately, and if I’m completely truthful, getting dressed and heading out to review a show was probably one of the last things I felt like doing.

I said to my husband that maybe we should cancel.

His response?

“We’re not dead yet, so let’s live our lives to the fullest.”

Okay then.

Point taken.

So I put on my clothes, we got in the car and off we went to COME ALIVE! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular.

And perhaps this was exactly the show I needed.

BEFORE YOU EVEN GET INSIDE

The entertainment actually started before we reached the Hippodrome.

Walking along the yellow plastic road absolutely covered in midgies was an experience in itself. The poor staff directing everyone stood solidly at their posts, barely even shooing the little buggers away.

Now THAT is dedication.

Ticket collection at the Box Office was easy, the walk around to the Riverside Entry was straightforward — apart from our new midge friends — and getting into the Hippodrome was seamless.

Doors open an hour before the performance and I absolutely recommend arriving early.

The pre-show isn’t something to skip. It’s part of the experience.

Music is pumping, performers are roaming around, there’s colour everywhere, people are taking photos, buying food and drinks and generally just smiling.

And there are a LOT of smiles.

I even spotted Jared, my stage manager from Once on This Island in Sydney, now working here in Perth.

Nice to see you again, Jared!

And seeing Jared was also a timely reminder of just how many people it takes behind the scenes to make something of this scale happen.

The stage and technical crew work incredibly hard throughout this production. With performers flying through the air, apparatus appearing and disappearing, constant transitions, lighting changes, musicians, singers, dancers and circus artists all needing to be exactly where they’re supposed to be, there is an enormous amount happening that we’re not necessarily meant to notice.

That’s the point.

When a crew makes something this complicated look effortless, they’re doing their jobs exceptionally well.

So a huge HERS acknowledgement to Jared and the entire hardworking stage, technical and backstage crew.

We see you.

Of course I decided I needed to look the part and got myself a feather boa.

I’d completely forgotten how bloody itchy those things are.

But did I look fabulous?

Obviously.

Popcorn was $10. Fairy floss was $10. There are water, soft drinks and alcoholic drinks available, although we didn’t purchase alcohol.

Then it’s time to head inside the purpose-built Hippodrome.

And this is where things really COME ALIVE.

THIS ISN’T JUST THE MOVIE ON STAGE

One thing worth knowing before you go: this isn’t a stage recreation of The Greatest Showman movie.

It takes those songs we all know and love and builds a completely different circus world around them.

At the centre is Max, played by Ruby Clark, who arrives at the circus to watch her boyfriend perform as a trapeze artist and slowly becomes swept into this strange, colourful family.

Then there’s The Showman, played by Des Flanagan — charismatic, commanding and carrying his own story. He’s been part of this circus world for what feels like forever and Max may just represent his opportunity to finally move on.

What follows is her journey deeper and deeper into this world until she begins discovering what she herself might be capable of.

It’s a simple storyline — and honestly, that’s all it needs to be.

Because surrounding it are aerialists, dancers, acrobats, balancing acts, flying bodies, fire, incredible costumes, massive lighting moments and performers appearing from seemingly everywhere.

The circus isn’t the background.

The circus IS the show.

And spectacular is absolutely the right word for it.

AND THAT BAND!

Before I get to the vocals, I need to talk about the band.

PHENOMENAL.

There is something about hearing The Greatest Showman soundtrack performed with the energy of live musicians that a recording simply can’t replicate.

And these weren’t simply carbon copies of the songs we already know.

There were moments where you’d suddenly hear pieces of another familiar song woven into the one being performed — little musical surprises that made me go, “Hang on… I heard that!”

I loved that.

Some of the arrangements also had a definite rock edge to them, giving songs we know inside out a completely different energy without losing what made us love them in the first place.

And can we please talk about that lead guitarist?

Absolutely SMASHED IT.

There were moments where that guitar came ripping through the arrangement and my musician brain immediately went, YES!

It added grit, power and another layer to the soundtrack that I wasn’t expecting.

That’s what I enjoyed most about the band. They weren’t simply sitting underneath the singers providing accompaniment. They were an integral part of the spectacle.

These are songs most of us know incredibly well. We know where the builds are coming. We know those huge choruses. We know the moments that are supposed to hit.

But the arrangements played with those expectations.

A little musical reference appearing somewhere unexpected.

A harder rock edge.

A guitar suddenly cutting through.

Then straight back into that huge cinematic Greatest Showman sound.

And the band makes those moments HIT.

They provide the heartbeat underneath everything happening inside that Hippodrome.

When you’ve got aerialists flying overhead, dancers moving across the floor, vocalists belting, lighting exploding around the space and circus performers doing things that frankly make me question whether the normal rules of gravity apply to them — underneath all of it are musicians driving that energy forward.

As performers ourselves, Clay and I probably notice a live band more than most.

And this one deserves recognition.

Phenomenal musicianship, clever arrangements and one lead guitarist who absolutely understood the assignment.

THE VOICES!

I need to talk about the vocalists because this is where my musician brain kicked in again.

Alongside Des Flanagan and Ruby Clark, the core vocal characters include Olivia Carniato, Jade Delmiguez, Harrison Riley and Charly Williams.

These aren’t singers standing safely at the front of a stage while everything happens behind them.

They are IN it.

Characters. Movement. Choreography. Circus performers flying around them.

And then they open their mouths.

Powerhouse vocals.

But my moment of the entire evening?

NEVER ENOUGH.

Good grief.

As a singer, I know how deceptively difficult this song is.

It requires control, range, power and restraint — and if you push it too hard, the whole thing can very quickly become just loud.

Tonight it was beautiful.

The vocals were already enough to hold my attention, but then you add this striking lighting design and the incredible circus artistry spinning and turning through the number.

And underneath it all, that beautiful live band.

For those few minutes, everything layered together perfectly.

Vocals.

Movement.

Lighting.

Circus.

Live music.

It was stunning.

Amongst a show FULL of highlights, Never Enough was my highlight.

WHO IS THIS SHOW FOR?

This part is easy.

If you love The Greatest Showman soundtrack, you will love this.

If you love circus, you will love this.

If you love live music and powerhouse vocalists, you will love this.

If you love dancers, aerialists and acrobatics, you will definitely love this.

And if you’re thinking, “Oh, it’s just another circus show”…

You’re half right.

Because yes, the circus performances are extraordinary.

But it’s so much more than that.

What impressed me was the commitment to the world they’ve created.

From the moment you arrive, people are in character.

The performers roaming through the pre-show, the front-of-house experience, the musicians, the stage and technical crew, the music, the costumes and then the enormous company inside the Hippodrome all contribute to making you feel like you’ve actually entered somewhere else for a couple of hours.

Everyone has a part in creating that magic.

The people you see.

And the people you don’t.

Kids will LOVE it.

But this isn’t something adults simply tolerate for their children.

We were surrounded by grown adults laughing, singing, cheering and staring upwards with their mouths open.

Including me.

AND MAYBE THAT’S WHY I NEEDED IT

Tonight reminded me of something.

Sometimes life gets really heavy.

Sometimes you’re sad.

Sometimes you don’t feel like putting on the brave face, getting dressed or going anywhere.

And sometimes you shouldn’t have to.

But every now and then, someone who loves you says:

“We’re not dead yet.”

And reminds you that it’s okay to keep living while you’re hurting.

Tonight I laughed.

I sang.

I wore a ridiculous itchy feather boa.

I watched people fly through the air.

I listened to brilliant singers absolutely belt the living daylights out of songs I love.

I felt that live band vibrating through the Hippodrome.

And for a little while, I wasn’t thinking about everything that has made me sad lately.

I was simply there.

Living.

So if you’ve been feeling a little down, a little sad or life has simply been a bit heavy lately, maybe stepping underneath a Big Top filled with colour, music, ridiculously talented humans and a little bit of magic isn’t such a bad idea.

Because sometimes you don’t need something profound.

“Sometimes you just need to COME ALIVE.”

Sometimes you just need to COME ALIVE.

HERS RATING

🎭 🎭 🎭 🎭 🎭

5 out of 5 Theatre Masks

Spectacular by name. Spectacular by nature.

For the phenomenal live band, powerhouse vocals, extraordinary circus artists, dancers, aerialists, hardworking crew and the sheer joy this production gave me on a night when I really needed it.

COME ON! COME IN! COME ALIVE!!

HERS