Nice to see they're still making musicals, but...

Rating: 7/10 (22 April 2018)

I'm a sucker for musicals, and this one had the benefit of wonderful performances by triple threat performers who could actually sing, dance and act. (unlike La La Land). The production was impressive, and the musical numbers beautifully staged and executed. I especially liked the duet of Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron singing and dancing in the bar -- talent, talent and then some.
Passing off the story of PT Barnum as a tribute to diversity and acceptance of differences is a bit of a stretch -- that's a true Hollywood treatment, and frankly a little old these days. It's been done and done. But I'm nitpicking, because the performances in the supporting roles (the so-called freaks) were so authentic and guaranteed audience buy-in.
However, unfortunately I found the music and lyrics just okay. Nothing compared to the classic musicals of the past. Lyrics were banal and repetitive and the music lacked artistry. But...I repeat ...the performances were amazing.