A 2017 movie musical starring Hugh Jackman as circus mogul P.T. Barnum,
The Greatest Showman features original songs by the writing team of
Benj Pasek and
Justin Paul. Earlier the same year, the duo took home a Tony Award for their score for Best Musical winner
Dear Evan Hansen, as well as an Oscar for their lyrics to
La La Land's "City of Stars." Despite being set in the mid-19th century,
The Greatest Showman's songs are pure contemporary theater-pop, delivered by a cast that also includes Michelle Williams,
Zac Efron, Broadway powerhouse
Keala Settle, and Disney Channel alum-turned-Top 40 artist
Zendaya. All provide rousing performances of anthemic material about overcoming odds that include the
Settle-led ensemble piece "This Is Me" and
Efron and
Zendaya's "Rewrite the Stars." Also delivering the vocal goods is
Loren Allred, who did the singing for
Rebecca Ferguson's portrayal of real-life opera singer Jenny Lind -- also represented in pop-diva style here. The soundtrack went on to top not only the soundtrack chart but the Billboard 200. ~ Marcy Donelson