Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Monday 22 January 2018
‘Greatest Showman’ film stirs new interest in P.T. Barnum

By MICHAEL MELIA seum since “The Greatest
Associated Press Showman” started playing
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — last month in theaters. Mu-
The Hollywood film on the seum director Kathy Maher
life of the founder of the said the museum has had
Barnum & Bailey circus is to add guides.
stirring new interest in the The Ringling Circus Museum
man, P.T. Barnum, who in Sarasota, Florida, also
besides his turn as a mas- has seen more people tak-
ter showman was a state ing interest in Barnum and
legislator, philanthropist asking to speak with their
and mayor of Bridgeport, historian, spokeswoman Al-
Connecticut. There’s been ice Murphy said.
an increase in visitors to Maher said producers of
Bridgeport’s Barnum Mu- the film took some advice

This Sept. 30, 2010 file photo shows the Barnum Museum along Main Street in downtown Bridgeport,
Conn.
Associated Press

depicted by a singing and about Barnum.
dancing Hugh Jackman di- Near the film’s end, it de-
verges from the true story picts an 1865 fire that de-
of Phineas Taylor Barnum. stroyed Barnum’s Ameri-
“I thought it was fun enter- can Museum in New York
tainment. It was a romp. City. It shows Barnum run-
But it has absolutely noth- ning into the building to
ing to do with the historic save a fictional partner, but
Barnum,” said Arthur Sax- at the time he was actually
on, author of “P.T. Barnum: on the floor of the Con-
The Legend and the Man.” necticut legislature, as a
For one, Saxon said, Bar- representative for the town
num grew up in Bethel, of Fairfield, speaking out on
Connecticut, as the grand- a scheme to monopolize
son of one of the most pros- railroads, Maher said.
This undated photo shows PT perous people in town de- Among those seeking to
Barnum. spite the film’s portrayal of set the record straight is
Associated Press humble beginnings. He also People for the Ethical Treat-
from the museum for props took issue with the ringlead- ment of Animals, which
and set designs. But she er’s uniform worn by Jack- called on Thursday for the
said the filmmakers at 20th man — something he said Bridgeport museum to ad-
Century Fox advised they Barnum never wore — and dress the circus’s history of
were seeking to capture scenes that had the cham- exploiting elephants.
Barnum’s spirit, and not do pion of liquor reform drink- Later this month, Maher is
a documentary, so she was ing champagne or whisky. presenting a talk at the Bar-
prepared to see the movie The film highlights Barnum’s num Museum on what in-
take some liberties with his hiring of people with dis- spired the film. The museum
life story. abilities as circus perform- is listed on the National Reg-
“We are here to deliver the ers, a practice that’s espe- ister of Historic Places and is
authentic. That’s what mu- cially suspect for a mod- home to thousands of arti-
seums do,” she said. “That’s ern-day audience. Saxon facts. It was completed in
not what Hollywood does. said individuals such as 1893 and has been dealing
Their mission is to make Tom Thumb often became with repairs and preserva-
people happy. Nailed it.” well off and in his research tion work since it was struck
Still, circus historians have on Barnum he never came by a tornado in 2010. It’s
found sport in picking across any employee who still trying to raise money for
apart where the man as had a negative thing to say improvements.q

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