Using the music from the smash hit movie The Greatest Showman, Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular is a dazzling combination of theatre, musical performance, circus and drama rolled into one entertaining evening.
Even as you enter the Hippodrome at Crown Perth, there is a sense that you are in for a fun night, with the ushers helping to establish the feel good party atmosphere that runs throughout much of the show.
Featuring a cast of thirty two singers, dancers and circus performers, Come Alive! brings a smile to your face and manages to bring out your inner child.
The evening explodes into life with a vibrant and exhilarating opening. There is plenty going on as performers fill the stage with colour, movement and imagery, giving the audience little time to decide where to look.
At the centre of proceedings is ringmaster Des Flanagan, who whips the audience into a frenzy with his high energy performance and vibrant stage presence. Around him is an impressive collection of singers, dancers and circus performers that bring the thrill of the circus to a contemporary production.
Featuring circus artistry set to the Grammy Award-winning soundtrack of The Greatest Showman, written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Come Alive! incorporates many of the film’s best-known songs, including This Is Me, Rewrite the Stars, A Million Dreams and Come Alive.
One of the more beautiful moments comes with a powerful and haunting rendition of Never Enough from Flanagan and the cast of singers, while Jake Silvestro performs impressively with a giant ground hoop.
Aerialist Laura Wells keeps the audience spellbound as she is suspended by her hair and spins high above the crowd, while Andrew Sumner displays remarkable strength and control during his aerial strap routine.
There are plenty of thrills closer to the ground as well. Performing on the teeterboards, Harry McKoy, Ben Van Overberghe and Harley Timmermans launch themselves through the air with impressive precision and skill.
The highlight of the evening belongs to tightrope walker Alexey Glavatskyi. His sequence has the audience transfixed as he makes his way across the wire before taking the degree of difficulty even further by balancing a chair on the tightrope and then sitting upon it.
Holding the spectacle together is a simple narrative centred around Max, played by Ruby Clark, and her trapeze artist boyfriend, portrayed by Griffin Hooper. Max finds herself drawn into the magical, high-energy world of a travelling circus troupe, discovering her own potential as a showman amid the collection of stunts and musical numbers.
Clark takes over as ringmaster in the second act, where both her character and the narrative take on a more serious tone. While the storyline is relatively simple, it provides enough of a thread to connect the individual performances without overwhelming the circus spectacle audiences have come to see.
Visually, the production shines. Vibrant costuming and dynamic lighting complement the constant movement on stage and add to the sense of occasion inside the Hippodrome. Not everything lands quite successfully. A fire sequence feels somewhat underwhelming alongside the considerably more impressive aerial and acrobatic displays.
There is also a chance for the audience to participate in a sing off between different sections of the Hippodrome. With the audience joining in with enthusiasm, it seemed a missed opportunity not to finish with a singalong involving the entire audience. But these are minor quibbles in a production designed first and foremost to entertain.
With impressive circus artistry, energetic performances and a soundtrack packed with familiar favourites, Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular delivers exactly what its title promises.
A family friendly, feel good night at the circus, Come Alive! will leave a smile on your face and have you singing your favourite songs from The Greatest Showman as you leave the Hippodrome.
COME ALIVE! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular
Hippodrome, Crown Perth, Great Eastern Highway, Burswood (Perth)
Performance: Friday 28 August 2026
Season continues to 10 October 2026
Bookings: www.ticketek.com.au
Following the Perth season, COME ALIVE! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular will tour to Adelaide from 29 October, Brisbane from 24 December 2026, and Melbourne from 25 February 2027. For more information, visit: www.comealiveshow.com.au for details.
Images: COME ALIVE! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular – photos by Luke Dyson
Review: Craig Dalglish