Conley Husks His Way Through Barnum

Brian Conley has a big personality and, whilst his dusky, bass voice was well suited to Jolson all those years ago, as Barnum he lacked the gentle melody of the two men who originally captured the spirit of Cy Coleman's score so brilliantly - Michael Crawford and Jim Dale.

Both were veterans of comic timing - as indeed is Mr Conley - but they arrived to the stage via a different route and a road, I would argue, more suited to theatrical performance. Comedians who eventually find themselves on the theatre stage often overplay the audience interaction, forgetting that they are not doing stand up. Invariably the temptation is just too great.....too much back chat, too many double takes, just to get a laugh. That's what Conley did early on last night and I found myself screwing up my toes!

This latest Chichester Festival Theatre Production, in association with Cameron Mackintosh, is a subtle re-write of the original and, by and large works well in that it removes some of the question marks from the storyline by introducing more credible dialogue - Chairy Barnum's land deal conniving to entice her hubby away from opera star Jenny Lind and back to New York - is a case in point.

I have always loved this show - about America's greatest showman - but left the theatre with my tail between my legs, a £5.60 bill for two ice creams and a parking ticket. Had the performance been more vibrant and the Magnum and tub of vanilla been a little cheaper, I might have felt more able to cope with the third!

But Brian Conley, for all the twinkles in his eyes, sounded as though he needed a good cough mixture or, at least, the score transposing down, well down. He is not a singer and some of Coleman's beautiful music was simply betrayed by a 'talked' performance.

You can meander your way through one song but not an entire score and that's what he did. Indeed Conley's inability to sing merely served to highlight the talents of his leading lady, Linzi Hateley as Chairy Barnum and Landi Oshinowo, doubling as Joice Heth and the Blues Singer.

This was a completely different flavour to those early productions more than two decades ago - a more period look from the costume department, no clowns, death slide or sharp, vibrant colours. It felt, at times, as though we were viewing the dark greens, wine reds and subdued yellows through overworked gas lamps.

Kimberly Blake as Jenny Lind had a lovely voice and began perfectly as the Swedish Nightingale. Within 'six months' (in script terms) she had moved from a non speaker of English to a perfect accent! Where did the broken mid European dialogue go? Did no director pick this up or, indeed, the near cut glass accent of Ringmaster, John Stacey? Wasn't he American?

Mikey Jay-Heath was excellent as General Tom Thumb, the dancers and ensemble worked their socks off and I liked those script changes that brought touches of thoughtful philosophy into the Barnum role but, for me, Conley left me feeling distinctly lack lustre and I'm sorry for that because I really wanted to love him.

Until Saturday.