Come Alive! Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular-Earls Court

If you are at or near the front you will need to look up regularly as most of the circus acts perform well above ground level. It's tiered more steeply than a typical theatre and I don't think there are any bad viewing sections. I've just had a look at current pricing and frankly I think 90% of it is outrageously expensive for a 75 minute show that's really not that much different to a touring circus.

The front row has extra legroom but there was a "watch your feet" warning for people sitting there. 

I'm looking forward to other views telling me how wrong I am about this show ...

I was so looking forward to this but not so sure now! at least it won't be a mad dash for my train after like I feared!

I was tempted to try for rush tickets today, but as @frontroverpaul has given such a useful overview I'll hold out for the more realistically priced tickets to appear.

Saw the matinee of this today, and concur with everything @frontroverpaul said.

However, I suspect I enjoyed it quite a bit more, almost certainly because I read his review and adjusted my expectations accordingly.

It is indeed a circus show, rather than a theatre show. Personally, I like my circus shows themed, so as a rule I don't bother frequenting Cirque-du-Solei, but when there was a Michael Jackson themed Cirque, I went and enjoyed it lots.

Similarly here, I prefer my human circus (the kind of acts where three people stand vertically on each other's shoulders, or where a trapeze artist suspended by her hair does aerial stunts or where a high wire is walked or where some trapeze artists are propelled into the air by jumping on a seesaw) accompanied by music I like, and there is a chorus of talented singers here singing well.

I presume when Oscar Hammerstein's grandson, Simon, asks you for permission to put your Circus movie songs in a Circus, you say yes, cos you're a songwriter, and. . . it's Oscar Hammerstein's grandson asking lol!

Anyway, it's a really good idea of how to improve a circus!

There are two actors, and Jenny Bick has created a rudimentary, thin but oddly moving story for them. . .

Some spoilers follow. . .

This is basically the Zac Efron story arc from the movie, whereby he becomes the successor ringmaster to Barnum, except here, Zac is Aaliya Mai, she's got a trapeze artist boyfriend, Cory who thinks she shouldn't do it, but she does it anyway. Through the show, Simon Bailey's Barnum dresses her in a ringmaster costume bit by bit, and she becomes more and more confident and powerful in the role by degrees.

Mai is the heart of the show, performing the pivotal "A Million Dreams" and "This is me," among other songs, and does a terrific job.

Bailey's Barnum soars when he sings
"From Now On" and, even more, when he leads the audience in accompanying him (whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa) on "The Greatest Show."

Anyhow, as a themed circus show, it's a great show for all the family, and I saw kids, loaded with popcorn in see-through plastic bags or hotdogs, enjoying themselves immensely.

As a theatre show, 2 stars, as the story is too thin.
As a circus spectacle, 3 and a half stars.
As a themed circus show, it blended together at 4 stars for me, as Mai made me emotional in a way unadorned spectacle never could.

PS: I obeyed the no food rule, and took water only for this show, but I also had a diet coke for my next show at Soho Place, and worried that I'd get caught in a massive queue to get it back. I needn't have worried as the Security Chap only checked for food, and ignored the plastic bottles;

PPS: There aren't too many travel options, just outside the Venue, and West Brompton Station got immensely congested, with a big queue, so to save time, I walked a bit further to Earl's Court Station, which was much less busy.

Really not sure how to rank this. This is more along the lines of selling an experience, a night out not just a show.

Logistics
Not allowed to print your own tickets (as much as I memorise where I am sitting I like having it printed in case technology fails. On the way in as soon as scanned they said to screenshot the ticket as signal was poor inside! The sections are colour coded, the entrances are numbered and if there is a correlation I never found it. Once through security you go into what looks like a traditional museum but are encouraged to keep going to see the acts. There is a cloakroom and small toilet area with the lowest down kids urinal I have ever seen, I can only assume a hangover from the BBC Earth Experience which was the former tenant and who's marquee has been painted over for the new rather than totally removed. Next is an expensive and impressive looking bar then you get to the acts. Various areas including a little stage where I saw a singer, tumblers and a bubble blower, trampoline area and what looked like fortune tellers. Also the artists caravans and living quarters etc.
There was another bar and food area. From the amount left behind at the end I'd wager the popcorn isn't worth it.
'guest flow' isn't always ideal and I found it overwhelming at times. I think the overall theme was you are mingling outside the circus and the performers are having a great time.
No programme yet but a free cast list.

The show!
There is a plot. I'm not sure I've seen a show where it is so inconsequential as this. Why do we care about Max? Or the Showman? Is he a Willy Wonka who needs to retire or is he being forced out? Does Max want to be a ringmaster or is there some ethereal draw towards it?
Singing along is inevitable and I am sure encouraged by the ringmaster at one point. Ugh. I want to hear talented people not loud out of tune drunks (I know, I know, I went to a jukebox musical on a Saturday night!!!)
The circus acts were great but there was no huge spectacle. No globe of death or something like that. Also took a long time setting up the tightrope scene, surely would have been better to move things around and do that at the interval.

I know the show is still fairly new so some things may get tightened but it did seem the audience had a great time. The drunks near me were having kittens at some of the stunts.

Not sure I'd rush back unless a friend wanted to go and bought my ticket too!

I booked when the tickets went on sale, so I'm certainly not paying £100+ for a seat! If I really enjoy it, I will try and go back before it ends in March as I will be back in London then, but probably looking for bargain seats if there are any.

All this being said, I'm taking the view of imagining I'm an extra on the set when they shot Come Alive for the film. I'm sure everyone will be singing along to the big numbers from the film anyway, so I think the atmosphere will be similar to what I see on the behind-the-scenes features on the blu-ray.

I hope that all this makes sense. 

Yes, and selling very well - go figure...