Songwriters Benj Pasek & Justin Paul on the resurgence of the original musical. By Matt Grobar NOTCHING THEIR FIRST OSCAR win last year with La La Land, songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul have been in the awards conversation ever since, winning a Tony for their Broadway hit, Dear Evan Hansen. While Damien Chazelle’s original musical put Pasek and Paul on the map, the pair had been working on a separate project a number of years prior, in one of their first attempts at cracking Hollywood—Michael Gracey’s The Greatest Showman. The story of ringmaster P.T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman), founder of the famed Barnum & Bailey circus, The Greatest Showman, shares with La La Land a certain appreciation of showbiz glamour, though the comparisons end there. “They’re different kinds of movies, for different audiences,” Paul explains. “[Gracey] wanted the music to be contemporary.
STRONGER Jake Gyllenhaal’s triumph of humor and joy over tragedy. By Joe Utichi
We thought that was really bizarre and really intriguing, and that was one of the reasons that we really perked up.” The challenge was to create contemporary-sounding music that could jibe with a period
both his legs in the 2013 Boston marathon
Wide-ranging in style—incorporating
bombing, but ultimately reclaimed his life
numbers—the music of The Greatest Showman benefits from a healthy balance of Hollywood A-listers and
through positivity and the love of his family. “I think we made a very small, intimate story about a very big subject,” Gyllenhaal says, “which is really ultimately love, and how
Broadway belters. “Someone like Hugh
love gets you through those extraordinarily
is a bona fide Broadway star and a
narrow passages.” Gyllenhaal says the story
Hollywood star. Then, we were really
fortunate to have folks like Keala Settle, who we’ve known for a really long time in the Broadway community,” Paul JAK E GY LLE N HA A L: CH RI S C HA P M A N
story.” Gyllenhaal plays Jeff Bauman, who lost
something that was just for the radio.” gospel and spectacular ensemble
J OE W RI G H T: M I CH AE L B UC K NE R
Jake Gyllenhaal says of his latest film Stronger. “The humor and the sense of joy in the
THE GREATEST SHOWMAN
production, without “trying to create
“I JUST FELL IN LOVE WITH THE HUMOR,”
for Stronger, which is based on Bauman’s memoir, “had me from the minute I read it.” For Bauman, seeing it reenacted was “really tough. To see these wonderful great
notes. “We felt incredibly lucky that we
people, actors and actresses, and how tal-
had so many folks who are perceived
ented they are, it made me cry. It was just so
to be film stars who actually have tremendous talents in the musical theater world.” “A lot of people might not know Hugh being the showman that he is;
hard for me.” Bauman’s family were similarly affected, he says. “I didn’t think it was going to make me cry. I was like, 'Yeah, it’s probably just going to be funny and not that serious,' and
Gyllenhaal (pictured with
they only know the Wolverine movies,”
it really got me. It got me to a point to where I
co-star Tatiana Maslany)
the songwriter continues. “Getting to
couldn’t even do stuff for a week. It was really,
is Boston marathon
blend all those talents together was a
really hard but it turned out well and I’m really
bombing survivor Jeff
real joy for us.”
proud to say it’s my story.”
Bauman in Stronger. DEADLINE.COM
O1 Oscars Preview-11.indd 45
45
11/10/17 3:55 PM