The Greatest Showman

The Greatest Showman (2017)

(Directed by Michael Gracey; written by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon)

(Spoiler alert: if you want to be completely surprised by the themes contained in this film, see the movie before reading this blog.)

Those who regularly read this blog will not be surprised to hear that I enjoyed another musical. The Greatest Showman is top-notch musical entertainment and leaves one with things to consider. The whole time I watched the show I felt drawn to finding a community theatre company in which I could sing and act. I wanted to be Hugh Jackman as much as he wanted to be P.T. Barnum. As I left the theatre I was reminded of the realities of life that would get in the way of such aspirations, but I suspect that musicals like this do inspire others to act, sing, dance, write stories, and compose music. Such movies are good for our collective consciousness.

The movie tackles several contemporary themes as it follows the life of the man who invented “showbiz.” The theme that is perhaps most prevalent is the idea that every life matters and that our differences should be celebrated. I found that the actors, director, and producers did well to make this an important theme without clobbering the audience with the concept. Yes, there are moments when Lettie Lutz (the bearded lady) is overpowering with the message of celebrating differences; but there are also times when we see that P.T. Barnum and others who revered diversity were flawed and simply enjoyed a good “freak show.” The film is accurate in recognizing the struggle we all face in embracing those who are exceptional.

The movie also contemplates questions about status and station in life. Barnum is shown to have been born into poverty and low social-standing and he is always on a search to achieve a greater status. He is never satisfied with money or fame as long as he is treated as a lesser citizen. Never is this clearer than in his interactions with his wife’s parents and their high-society friends.

This naturally leads to introspection about the question of “when is enough, enough?” Capitalism, and the search for a good life with sufficient wealth is seen to be in conflict with diversity, status, and satisfying relationships. Of course, these questions also affect two significant love stories held within the movie. Barnum’s quest for status, fame, and money get in the way of his relationship with his children and his wife, Charity. Meanwhile, Phillip Carlyle, who comes from a wealthy family of high social-standing finds it hard to leave behind the adoration of high-society to fully embrace his love for Anne Wheeler, a common trapeze artist in the circus.

The singing, dancing, lyrics, special effects, and colours of the movie are all well-done. I encourage you to see it for yourself and let me know your reactions.

Salieri and Mozart

In Timothy Keller’s book, Every Good Endeavor, he writes about the story of Antonio Salieri and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as told in Peter Shaffer’s play, Amadeus. Keller recounts how Antonio Salieri was a court composer to the Hapsburg emperor in Vienna and wrote many successful operas. He had wealth and position but sensed that his music was mediocre. When he met Mozart, his underlying suspicions were confirmed and Salieri realized that compared to the work of Mozart, his own works were very inferior. Salieri aspired to create extraordinary music but knew that he had only been given modest talents. He asked God to give him the ability to write music like Mozart but soon discovered that God would not give him the desired response to that prayer. He became angry at God and jealous of Amadeus Mozart, and worked to destroy this man whom he saw as God’s instrument of beauty.

Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon reaction. I have known men and women who pray to God for something and when they do not receive it are bitter and angry toward God. They covet what someone else has and become enemies of God. They feel that God should have known their great need and should have responded if he was indeed a loving father. They begin to see God as unjust, unkind, and unfair. I have known some who have lost all faith in God because they demanded an answer from God and felt that his non-responsiveness was equivalent to his non-existence.

Such behaviour is actually unfair toward God. If God is someone from whom we can demand an answer, then he would not be a God of faith. I might say, “God, I am really struggling with believing in you, please prove to me that you exist.” If God, out of his love for us, must answer this prayer and show up in some form that proves he exists, then we will forever know that he exists. If I know, without a doubt that there is a God who created me and will be my ultimate judge, then I must live in the manner in which he asks me to live or suffer the consequences. In this scenario, we would be enslaved to this God and unable to live in any fashion other than what he says. Instead, without an unequivocal knowledge that God exists, we must live by faith, trusting that what he has revealed to us is sufficient to allow us to trust that he is there and he is worthy of our trust.

There is one more lesson to be learned from the life of Salieri and Mozart and that is that we can trust God with the person he has made us to be. The gifts people receive from God, musical or otherwise, do not seem to be evenly distributed into all the population of the world. There are many examples of people as young as two years of age who show great musical prowess that is simply built into them at birth. Indeed, such prodigies are often compared to the great Amadeus Mozart. Does this make God unfair or does this make him creative? The world would be a much poorer place if everyone was given the same personality, the same abilities, and the same gifts. The key to success for each of us is largely connected with a healthy self-knowledge of who we are and who we are not. The Peter Shaffer play has highly fictionalized the two characters of Mozart and Salieri and it is likely that the real Salieri was much more comfortable with his musical gifts than his character in the play. He likely had a healthy respect for Mozart. The reality is that each of us must spend a good portion of our lives seeking to find our way in this world and finding the places in which we fit the best. It is no good to try to be something we are not. Instead, we seek to find our place in the grander scheme of things.