From the Deadline.com article --
The film will tell the story of Barnum’s invention of show business, and his ultimate invention of the three-ring circus.
I find it very interesting that the subject of the film has now moved to Barnum's creation of showbusiness and the circus spectacle, compared to the supposed original script which focused on his infatuation with Jenny Lind.
Maybe that was why Bill Condon was partly asked to help in the rewrite...and maybe Fox wanted a movie that will have broader appeal ( and also kid-friendly) rather than simply focus on the romantic angle?
Hugh will be in Turkey for an announced 4-concert series ( reprising his one-man show BACK ON BROADWAY) in the third week of March. The rehearsals and the actual staging can serve as part preparations for GREATEST SHOWMAN, even if filming will take place many months later.
This would be similar to his Back-on-Broadway show ( closed on January 1, 2012) preceding the filming of Les Miserables ( actual shooting started in March 2012).
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bueti-susan
10 years ago
Hugh has made mention via his Instagram (Feb of this year) of being in the recording studio previously. And Benj Pasek tweeted another photo with Hugh in the studio in September. Based on that, I've been thinking that this musical will be a more traditionally made musical than Les Miserables, with studio recording first and lip syncing to the sound track during filming. Have you heard otherwise?
Certainly it's possible that those early sessions were during the musical composition. After all, we haven't heard any other casting news. I do wonder if the Istanbul performance is really related. Could be, particularly if the final studio recording will take place sometime prior to the start of filming, rather than 5 or 6 months afterward.
I also wonder if there will be any dancing in this film.
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baj-1
10 years ago
Les Miserables is a sung-through musical, and except for one or two phrases, almost a hundred percent composed of sung songs and recitatives( sung dialogs). There would have been no way to have captured all that singing in a full studio recording and then have all the cast lipsynched to it -- that would have messed up the acting choices, which is what a movie, as dramatic as Les Miserables, would have needed. Also, Tom Hooper did recreate many other scenes and important passages from the original novel ( not included in the stage musical version) and his cinematic vision gave us a panoramic view of the poverty and oppression that seemed to have marked that era in France's history. His articulated vision is masterful storytelling, with excellent acting choices and complemented by the musical score.
I think GREATEST SHOWMAN would be more like a typical book-and-musical score creation. I suppose there were would be large chunks of dialog to keep the story flowing and character development strengthened.
The Istanbul concert would be a reprise of his one-man show, BACK ON BROADWAY -- if he does make reference to GREATEST SHOWMAN, he might introduce a song from the forthcoming movie musical. I made reference to Back on Broadway because he said that the three months spent singing onstage helped him for the rigorous singing discipline for Les Miserables. Did you have a chance to follow the filming developments for Les Miserables here on IMDB? There were tweets from the set that they were practically singing from sun-up to midnight, in some cases. Hugh was supposed to have sung Bring Him Home at least 14 times while Russell Crowe took 28 takes for Stars. Prior to filming, the cast (Hugh mostly) took in nine weeks of rehearsals - unheard of for movie-making! During set breaks, Hugh and the others would do singing warmups ( funny sounds and quite different for each major singer -- Samantha Barks sounded as if she was a cat!).
The director Michael Gracey, who is new to filmmaking but does have a solid background in large-scale commercials and MTVs ( he has two other film projects to which he is attached) would likely include dance as part of the spectacle. I am looking forward to seeing Hugh dance once more ( he was great in Back on Broadway as well as in The Boy from Oz, if you did not have a chance to see the shows). I am guessing, of course 😉
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bueti-susan
10 years ago
Oh, thanks for that reminder - Gracey directed the Lipton Tea commercials in which Hugh danced, right? So that may be a good hint that there will be dancing as well.
Nope, I didn't follow the Les Mis development here, but I'm well familiar with how it all played out by now. It hadn't occurred to me that he might introduce a new song from this upcoming film in Turkey. That would be interesting but, I'd think, unusual. We'll see. This is only a four night engagement, plus whatever rehearsal time he puts in for it, so it won't be nearly as long and rigorous of a "training period" as he had doing Back on Broadway. But then, I assume the singing in this film will not be as challenging for him as Les Mis was, not least because the songs are presumably being written with his voice in mind.
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baj-1
10 years ago
On second thought, he might decide against introducing a song from GREATEST SHOWMAN in Istanbul, as the song would be deprived from qualifying for Oscar Best New Song, if it is performed in public ahead of the movie release 😉
When he did BACK ON BROADWAY, he mentioned Les Miserables but did not do any songs from it...But in a later concert in Philadelphia, after the release of Les Miserables, he introduced a version of WHO AM I which was closer to the stage version. The movie version was more in keeping with the dramatic highlights of the storyline, as Valjean realized what the Bishop has done for him. In case you haven't seen this concert version - here it is :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AxAh08_ngI
He hasn't sung in public for a while ( except for that Christmas in Washington event) so the Istanbul concert might be a good warm-up, albeit quite distant from the filming of GREATEST SHOWMAN.
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bueti-susan
10 years ago
He has sung to invited audiences on at least a couple of occasions this year - the Wynn party in Vegas and the launch of his foundation at WAAPA come to mind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_the9jxlOYA&list=UUqdgFABRccnO9w7M 5H5_NXQ
And of course, Night at the Museum. :) But all of those were in the first half of 2014. Not sure about anything recent, and obviously, he's busy with the play.
EDIT: Oh, and of course he also sang at the Tonys! Even if most viewers remember the hopping intro and the rap (not exactly singing), he did sing for the audience during the commercial breaks, with only a bit airing for the TV audience upon returning from the break. And he sang to the best actress nominees.
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baj-1
10 years ago
I forgot about the Tonys hosting!
Rock Island from The Music Man ( sung rap style) was one of his most popular numbers in BACK ON BROADWAY. That one was as popular as the Movie Musicals medley where he combined channeling songs from the golden era of musicals with dance numbers. But my own favorite was SOLILIQUY ( the other Soliloquy, not from Les Miserables, but from CAROUSEL) which was sung not just powerfully but with whole range of emotions.
I suspect he continues with his regular voice lessons ( and maybe occasional dance lessons, too) though, even if he is not doing any musical engagements.
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JustusAnkka
10 years ago
I wonder who'll they cast and what characters with, as this is biographical, so atleast his wife Charity, Jenny Lind, the first known "Siamese twins" Chang and Eng Bunker, General Tom Thumb and Joice Heth with Zip the Pinhead, Jumbo the Elephant and John Ringling and James Anthony Bailey among others... (Fiji mermaid)
I'm looking forward for seeing actors in this film not known for roles in musicals or that much of singing either...
Jackman & Hathaway = new Astaire & Rogers :D
I hope they start casting soon...
By the way, is Mika still writing songs for this one as he wasn't mentioned on the new announcement on December?
As the title says.
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baj-1
10 years ago
According to some people who met Hugh at the stagedoor of THE RIVER, there was mention of Broadway actress Keala Settle . She was in HANDS ON A HARDBODY, and currently in LES MIZ. She attended The River and after the show, Hugh said he recently did a workshop with her of GREATEST SHOWMAN ON EARTH in which she played the Bearded Lady.
So, he is likely taking the opportunity to do workshops ( while currently performing on Broadway) re casting the show?
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JustusAnkka
10 years ago
Workshop of Greatest Showman On Earth???? You must be talking about the musical Barnum from th 1980s, because GSOE is an original musical film, or what were the "workshops" again...? :D
As the title says.
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baj-1
10 years ago
No, it was Hugh who was quoted by someone at the stagedoor (The River) talking to him -- and it was definitely the word "workshop" which was used and with reference to GREATEST SHOWMAN. He also used the term for the sessions that were held for the new musical Houdini ( from which he had quit before taking on The River) when it was in development. Maybe he uses it interchangeably for the theatre term "readings"?
Maybe they are treating the pre-production for this movie musical in the same way as it is done for the theatre because of the musical numbers?
On a related note - for the film adaptation of LES MISERABLES, the cast underwent a nine-week rehearsal period before actual production, which would be completely unthought of for a film project. Maybe because there were definite changes, compared to the stage musical, which needed some type of workshops?
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baj-1
10 years ago
I'm guessing here -- but this could be related to GREATEST SHOWMAN ON EARTH.
https://www.facebook.com/CircleBroadway/photos/a.288489757905729.70049 .105087079579332/782242641863769/?type=1&theater
Circle in the Square Theatre School
This afternoon Circle students had the special opportunity to engage in a seminar with the very accessible and insightful Hugh Jackman, moderated between shows by Board President Paul Libin.
January 21 · Edited
Circle in the Square Theatre SchoolIn the seminar, Mr. Jackman shared many details about his process, and also about an upcoming project for which he invited some of the School's students to audition.
January 23 at 12:49pm · Edited
Circle in the Square Theatre School is located next to the theatre itself, on Broadway in NYC.
Any chance the project mentioned is GREATEST SHOWMAN ON EARTH, which according to buzz will be filming in NYC later in 2015? Sounds like!
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baj-1
10 years ago
From an Instagram entry --
natalie_weiss
8 hours ago
Greatest Showman on Earth 2nd reading today w @pasekandpaul Oh. And Hugh Jackman, Sutton Foster, Aaron Tveit, Josh Henry, Michael Stuhlberg. ;) #bestmusic
Are actors like Sutton and Aaron being considerd for roles or were they hired to do the reading/workshop? I have actually thought of Sutton earlier for the role of Jenny Lind. She is a real Broadway favorite!
Hugh's run for THE RIVER ended on February 8, so he seems to be doing some work now ( I think he is also a producer for the movie) on GREATEST SHOWMAN, before he fulfills his other commitments for the year.
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