BARNUM is returning to West Yorkshire following its successful residency at Bradford Alhambra earlier this year.

Cameron Mackintosh’s new production of the hit musical, starring Brian Conley, will be at the Grand Theatre, Leeds, from April 14 to 25.

The show follows the life and dreams of America’s Greatest Showman, Phineas T Barnum, a man renowned for his shameless peddling and promotional activity and credited with saying ‘every crowd has a silver lining’.

At the age of 25 Barnum paid $1,000 to obtain the services of Joice Heth, a woman who claimed to be 161 years old and the nurse of George Washington.

Barnum exhibited the woman in New York and New England earning himself about $1,500, and went on to display a mermaid, Jumbo the elephant and the famous General Tom Thumb.

Barnum’s warmth and the excitement of his imagination were a force to be reckoned with and throughout his life he continued to draw in the crowds before teaming up with James A Bailey to create the ‘Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth’.

A host of circus performers will welcome audiences into the auditorium at the Grand Theatre, so you can expect balancing acts on theatre seats and people leaping through hoops.

The show, aimed at people of all ages, also promises stunning costumes, great songs and all the colour and joy of the circus.

Visit leedsgrandtheatre.com or call 0844 8482700 to book tickets.