Lee Mead: Leading Barnum as circus showman P.T. Barnum in Bill Kenright Ltd’s touring production
LEE Mead will lead the cast as legendary circus showman, businessman and politician P. T. Barnum in Bill Kenwright Ltd’s tour of Barnum, visiting the Grand Opera House, York, from February 24 to 28 next year.
West End performer and television star Mead, who will turn 44 on July 14, made his breakthrough in winning the BBC One reality show Any Dream Will Do in 2007, going on to star in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, bringing him to the York theatre in 2010, and later Wicked and Legally Blonde.
Broadway musical Barnum first took the UK by storm at the London Palladium in 1981, when Michael Crawford made theatrical history with a death-defying nightly tightrope walk across the stage.
He would go on to perform the role of the 19th century American showman throughout its West End run of 655 performances and subsequently on tour from 1984 to 1986. Now Southend-on-Sea actor Mead will step into Barnum’s shoes and onto the tightrope.
Jenny Seagrove, chairperson at Bill Kenwright Ltd, says: “I was captivated when I saw Barnum at the Watermill Theatre last year and knew immediately that this was a show I wanted to bring to audiences across the country.
The tour poster for Barnum, The Circus Musical, bound for the Grand Opera House, York, in February 2026
“Our spectacular new staging will feature an extraordinary ensemble cast of more than 20 actor-musicians playing 150 instruments, acrobats and amazing international circus acts, led by the wonderful Lee Mead playing the title role.”
The touring production will be directed by Jonathan O’Boyle, whose credits include Picture You Dead and The Last Five Years, and choreographed by Oti Mabuse, from Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing On Ice judge duties and I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here.
The musical invites audiences to “step right up and enter the dazzling world of P.T. Barnum, where imagination and ambition know no bounds”. Hand in hand with wife Charity, Barnum finds his life and career twisting and turning as he schemes and dreams his way to headier heights”.
Come follow the band with the glorious music of multi-award-winner Cy Coleman, Michael Stewart’s lyrics and Mark Bramble’s book in a show that features Join The Circus, Colours Of My Life, Come Follow The Band and Love Makes Such Fools Of Us All.
The creative team includes set and costume designer Lee Newby; lighting designer Jai Morjaria; sound designer Tom Marshall; musical supervisor George Dyer (arrangements and orchestrations); circus director Amy Panter; associate choreographer Matt Nicholson and associate sound designer Nick Lodge.
Tickets for the 7.30pm evening performances and 2.30pm Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees are on sale at atgtickets.com/york.