Musical adaptations of movies are all the rage right now, and for good reason. They’re easily recognizable, thus drawing in large audiences. “9 to 5” is no exception, with its timeless music and story. Dolly Parton, an original star in the film, penned the musical's lyrics and music, while Patricia Resnick wrote the book. Prince William Little Theatre staged a rather entertaining production of this show which I am glad I saw, over this past weekend.

While many of us are still awestruck over the smashing success that was The Greatest Showdown, we might forget that it wasn’t the first musical to deal with P.T. Barnum, nor was it the most accurate musical to do so. The great folks at PWLT, possibly cashing in on the subject’s popularity, mounted a very entertaining production of Barnum. Barnum, as the name suggests, follows the life and tribulations of P.T. Barnum, spanning decades and focusing mostly on what happened behind the scenes of his illustrious circus. It begins with Barnum in a low-profile sideshow, attempting to sell “Humbug” to as many people as he can, then we slowly see him become more and more successful, leading to his museum purchase. After that, we see tragedy after betrayal after tragedy as Barnum must ultimately figure how to go about his love of the circus.