BY ANDREA OLIVIO
Staff Writer
SCOTT PILLING staff OBHS junior Vickie Marino (l) and freshman Brittney Worth perform with their fellow dancers in a rehearsal for “Barnum.” The circus comes to town this weekend at Old Bridge High School.Students will perform “Barnum,” the musical that chronicles the life of Phineas Taylor Barnum — better known as P.T. Barnum — of Barnum and Bailey’s Circus, at the west campus’ David Diehl Auditorium tonight through Saturday.
More than 100 students tried out for the show, but only 50 made the cut of jugglers, tumblers and clowns. And those 50 have been rehearsing for the three-show run since the beginning of January.
The play follows Barnum from his early days as a shameless promoter to his 1871 establishment of the circus billed as “The Greatest Show on Earth.” Barnum starts out with one act but eventually partners with James Bailey to merge their show business empire.
The show ran on Broadway for 854 performances after opening in 1980.
In Old Bridge, the production is directed by Marilyn Reich, who has 28 years of experience doing just that in Old Bridge. She directed the same play 12 years ago, and it was such a hit she decided to bring it back.
“They love the whole show, because it’s so peppy and happy and colorful, and there are a lot of scenes with a lot of people,” Reich said.
The role of P.T. Barnum is played by senior Josh Hemphill. Shannon Connolly, also a senior, will play the role of Swedish Nightingale Jenny Lind.
The cast has been rehearsing each day after school for up to three hours.
The audience can expect lots of clowns and even more dancing, and can look forward to a finale that includes trapeze artists, jugglers and tumblers. Reich noted that the students used a juggling coach just for the play.
The general public is invited to enjoy the performances at 7:30 p.m. today, tomorrow and Saturday. General admission tickets for each of the three shows are $8. Reserved seats are available on Friday and Saturday for $10.
For more information, call (732) 360-4400.