The fact that Barnum's 2 girls never age (in real life, he had 4 girls) is just one minor example of the movie's out-of-whack timeline.
In real life, Barnum got his first museum at 31, and he didn't go into the circus business until he was 60.
As a musical, I far prefer Cy Coleman and Michael Stewart's tuneful ''Barnum,'' which presents a more varied portrait: He also ran a clock company, tried to build a town, and ran for public office (serving 4 terms in the Connecticut legislature and was mayor of Bridgeport, Conn.).
Barnum's real life had a lot of theatrical ties. He produced black minstrel shows, as well as a watered-down version on ''Uncle Tom's Cabin,'' with a happy ending where Tom and the other slaves are freed. He started the country's first theatrical matinees to encourage more families to attend.
And he presented Shakespearean plays and even tried to buy the English home that the Bard was born in. He wanted to move it and re-erect it in New York. When rumors of his plan became public, it made the locals realize the significance of losing such a landmark and the need to preserve it. Barnum says his plans were thwarted by some ''interfering Englishmen'' who included some guy named ... Charles Dickens. |
