Open-Air Singalong Of The Greatest Showman Is Coming This Summer

20th Century Fox

Even before The Greatest Showman hit cinemas last year, it seemed destined to be one of those modern musicals that smashed expectations and actually lived up to the hype surrounding it.

Unlike other musicals of recent times which, perhaps, took themselves a bit too seriously, The Greatest Showman arrived fully-fledged with massive sing-along moments and infectious songs.

Of course, it was in no small part thanks to its star and literal ringleader Hugh Jackman, who swapped his adamantium claws for a circus master’s baton and sang his little heart out.

Well now you too can sing your heart out as an open-air cinema in Manchester is hosting its own special song-along version of the movie this summer.

Just picture the scene – it’s a warm summer evening, a refreshing drink is in your hand, music is playing, and you get to sing with Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron. Sure, other people will be there and it’s Manchester so it might not be that warm, but a guy can dream.

If donning the ringmaster’s top hat wasn’t enough for you, Jackman proved to be a hero behind the scenes too as, while filming The Greatest Showman, he had to intervene and save Zac Efron from a fire that got out of hand.

Speaking to MTV, Efron recounted how Jackman carried his body from a burning house, proving his credentials as the world’s favourite White Knight.

Efron recalled:

It started to get late, and some of the pyrotechnics got a little bit too hot. We burst out of the building. It looked great on camera.

We didn’t know it [at the time], but it was pretty intense. I watched playback, and he saved me from a burning building. It later exploded that night. It was a set, but it later burned down.

Okay, so Jackman was in character as the legendary showman P.T. Barnum – and the scene required him to carry his assistant Phillip, played by Efron, out of a burning house. But they had no idea that the pyrotechnics were faulty and the situation could have been a lot worse.

Still, ‘It was pretty awesome,’ Efron enthused, adding, ‘Hugh Jackman saving you from a burning building? It’s every girl’s dream’.

More recently, Jackman has had to save himself from the incessant trolling from Ryan Reynolds, as fellow Marvel superhero Deadpool.

There’s been a lot of back and forth between the two guys, but most recently Jackman took to Good Morning America to leave a not-so-subtle message for Reynolds.

Specifically, Jackman said:

Ryan, I love you man. I love Deadpool. I can’t wait to see the movie, you’re one of my best friends. Blake, the fam, the whole thing.

But back it up a little. Play a little hard to get. It’s too much — It’s not sexy.

And what is sexy? Jackman in a circus tent am I right?

If singing along to The Greatest Showman isn’t your thing, the outdoor cinema, run by Luna Kids, will also be showing The Lego Batman Movie, Harry Potter, Star Wars and many other films throughout the summer.

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Charlie Cocksedge

Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.