‘The Greatest Showman’ Soundtrack Flies To No. 1

The soundtrack to the movie musical The Greatest Showman has turned on America's appetite for show tunes. Originally debuting on the Billboard 200 at No. 71 before jumping up to No. 63, the circus-film album took a trapeze leap to No. 5 after the movie's release on Dec. 20 and has moved up again to take a bow at No. 1 for the week ending Jan. 4.

Broadway aficionados are already familiar with Tony nominee Keala Settle, who plays bearded lady Lettie Lutz. Her identity-anthem "This Is Me" gets center-ring treatment in the film, and was described by Variety as a "pure-hearted epiphany," before winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song on Jan. 7. It was written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the La La Land lyricists who are also nominated along with Justin Hurwitz for Best Song Written For Visual Media at the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards for "City Of Stars."

Rounding out The Greatest Showman's cast are Tony Award winner Hugh Jackman — perhaps best known as the X-Men's Wolverine, but also tunefully remembered for starring in 2012's movie musical Les Misérables — who takes center stage as the film's titular showman with strong support from Zac Efron. The realization of the movie's circus theme also has the pair surrounded by diverse talents, including Rebecca Ferguson as the "Swedish Nightingale" Jenny Lind and Spider-Man: Homecoming's mononymous female lead Zendaya as a high-flying trapeze artist.

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‘The Greatest Showman’ Soundtrack Flies To No. 1

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