During the infancy of FOX's The Greatest Showman, there hadn't been a hit Hollywood movie-musical with original songs in 23 years. While La La Land might have changed that tune just last year with its Oscar-winning performances, Showman takes a page from its more eclectic predecessors and adds a modern twist.
Director Michael Gracey knew he needed to pull off something incredible to make the true story of the Barnum & Bailey Circus and its outrageous attractions something truly magical. The Greatest Showman has all the elements of an instant classic: an epic story, blockbuster names (Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, and Zendaya to name a few), and show-stopping musical numbers created by songwriting duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Dear Evan Hansen, Smash).
During a listening party of The Greatest Showman soundtrack, Hugh Jackman revealed that director Michael Gracey apparently fibbed a bit to get Pasek and Paul in the door when they first signed on to the project in 2013. While FOX execs were looking for superstar writers like Pharrell Williams and Bruno Mars to create the original soundtrack, Gracey sold Pasek and Paul as Tony Award-winning artists for the Broadway production of James and the Giant Peach, a show Jackman informs the audience has in fact never played on Broadway, and signed them onto the project.
Little did they know that those ambitious white lies would quickly come to fruition. Pasek and Paul have had an incredible year, winning an Oscar for La La Land and nabbing six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, for their original show Dear Evan Hansen. Hugh Jackman called the pair "the most incredible young writers probably writing today."
Blushing as Jackman welcomed them on stage, Pasek and Paul launched into the performance of the unapologetic freak anthem "This is Me," and introduced vocal powerhouse and Showman's breakout star, Keala Settle.
"This is the first time that we've ever sung on the song," said Pasek.
"I'm suddenly feeling very self-conscious," Paul joked right before the trio blew the audience away.
In the film, Settle plays the Bearded Lady of the circus and rallies her fellow freaks with the empowering anthem. "I'm not a stranger to the dark/Hide away, they say/Cause we don't want your broken parts," she croons. "I've learned to be ashamed of all my scars/Run away, they say/No one will love you as you are."
But this Bearded Lady refuses to let people tear her down anymore. Settle's voice is almost a battle cry as she unapologetically exclaims "This is me!" She has found her home among the outsiders and is letting her freak flag fly.
The song may strike a chord among LGBTQ listeners, as too many of us have been made to feel like outsiders, but as we at PRIDE know, owning who we are is and declaring it proudly can be immensely liberating.
The Greatest Showman premieres everywhere on December 20. Watch the exclusive showstopping performance below!
