The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Directed by Michael Gracey and starring Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Zac Efron and Zendaya The Greatest Showman, which hit Egyptian cinemas on 27/12/2017, does a good job of situating its audiences within its glittering musical world.

The Greatest Showman tells the story of Phileas Barnum (Hugh Jackman); once a tailor’s son, and now an individual trying to make a name for himself as a show owner of a circus composed of quirky, and somewhat abnormal, performers.

While Barnum finds himself struggling to balance his insatiable hunger to achieve more success, on the one hand, and his duties as a father, boss and friend, on the other hand, his magic-seeking world view made his show happen, and made his wife (Michelle Williams), a renowned opera singer (Rebecca Ferguson), all fall in love with him. The unique magic found within Barnum’s character can be attributed to two things: the film’s script and Hugh Jackman’s performance as Barnum. The former is written in such a manner that gives great room for the development of Barnum’s character with all of its layers and complexities, whilst the latter reaffirms Jackman’s status as a seasoned actor, uninhibited by any role and/or challenge.

The film also highlights a love story between Anne Wheeler (Zendaya) an African American trapeze artist, and Barnum’s high-class business partner Philip Carlyle (Zac Efron), as the couple struggles to gain societal approval of their relationship.

The script, however, is written in a manner that does not place Efron and Zenedya as protagonists of the plot. Hence, the film does not allot the young stars the opportunity to fully show case their acting skills. The sheer frequency of the musical numbers in the film, also contribute to several other actors being done a similar injustice; this is especially true for the bearded lady (Keala Settle), a brilliant actress, who was sidelined as a backup dancer to the film’s musical numbers.

This criticism of the frequency of these musical numbers, however, should not let us forget that they help make The Greatest Showman a genuine magic show. Indeed, if the essence of any decent magic show is to distract the audience with bedazzling and awe striking illusions (to the extent where audience members begin to believe in the authenticity of magic), then the film’s musical score is at the core of this essence. As such, with their all around strong vocals, their smooth choreography, and their vivid – but not too cartoonish – cinematography, the film’s musical numbers emerge as the true star of the film.

The film, however, deceives audiences with a hidden reality, one that lies in direct opposition with the aforementioned glamour of the musical numbers. Barum, for example, places all these oddities on one stage, with his end goal being his own fame and fortune, not out of some selfless desire to advocate for the equality of the oddities with other members of society.

Moreover, there are actual lines in the film which highlight these blurred lines between the literal theatricality of the film’s characters, and their realities as struggling individuals: “Doesn’t it bother you that everything you show is fake?” asks a critic, and Barnum responds, while pointing at the circus’ audience, “These smiles are not fake.” This, of course, adds a certain meta-cognitive element to the film; we are individuals, each with our own struggles between our reality and our appearance, observing a film filled with performers, each with his/her own similar struggles.

In other words, while the film does transport its audiences to a magical world, it tactfully keeps its audience members grounded in the reality of the human condition, with all of its struggles between social facades, personal desires, and necessary priorities. Ultimately, each audience member must rely on the subtlety of his/her second glance, so as to fully unpack the layers behind the film’s text.