The Greatest Showman (2017)
Liminal space is inherently queer.
I don’t have to explain that to you. In the same way I don’t have to explain why Mariah Carey is a gay icon without being gay herself.
The film The Greatest Showman is all liminal space. It is a trapeze swing between heteronormativity and exuberant bursts of queer joy. It is the line between celebration and mockery. Between truth and humbug.
It is Zendaya, clad in a light-pink leotard thudding her feet into the dirt and swinging her shoulders like a gladiator entering an arena. It is Hugh Jackman, a man performing, and Zac Efron, a performance of manhood.
Let us begin with the easier bits to swallow- the decidedly heteronormative bits. Obviously the whole jam of young Charity being instructed on the rules of ladyhood and being scolded for laughing instead of dutifully sipping tea provides us with the suffocating structure of gendered expectations. Obviously Charity’s father is serving us toxic masculinity in the flesh.
Ohkay but, let’s talk about the song these little kiddos sing because it is queer as fuck. They are singing about “living in a world that we design.” Come on now! The act of creating your own story, carving out your own place in a world that does not seem to be built for you…pretty gay.
Other notably gay elements of that song:
The fog in front of the abandoned house
The way Charity is just spinning around instead of moving in one straight direction
The foliage
Now I’d like to draw your attention to the gayest scene in the entire film. You know where I’m going right? Yeah, you get it. Okay let’s say it at the same time.
One…two…three:
THE SEXY BUSINESS DEAL BETWEEN HUGH AND ZAC
AKA
THE HOMOEROTIC VOLLEYBALL MONTAGE OF OUR GENERATION!
This whole scene is tap dancing on the razor-thin line between hypermasculinity and just being super gay. Allow me to start with Zac Efron’s outfit. Please take a moment to look it up, if you- for some odd reason- don’t watch this film on a biweekly basis. I’ll wait.
RIGHT?! Maybe he could pass as straight in just his vest, but when he adorns himself with that burgundy tophat and the matching scarf, which I believe he borrowed from his fancy grandmother- game over! If this were the 90’s that look could read as metrosexual, but in the year of our lord 2023 I need to come out and say, “That boy is gay.”
In addition to the fabulosity of his outfit, every line Zac’s character says in the scene seems to be plucked directly from a missive sent by a closeted gay teen, clinging to the comfort of normalcy, to his secret boyfriend, encouraging him to come out .
“Just associating with you could cost me my inheritance”
“I quite enjoy the life you say I'm trapped in”
“Oh, damn, can't you see I'm doing fine. I don't need to see the other side”
And we have yet to even discuss the physicality of that scene! Their dancing delivers a near Gene Kelly level experience of one of my favorite flavors of masculinity. Those soft, yet extremely sharp movements. They are weightless, yet substantial. These men are taking up space. They are standing on bars and tipping over chairs, and doing it all with an expertly gentle touch- far from the boarish, destructive depiction of man-ness that we are accustomed to seeing.
I would be remiss if I did not give a quick shout out to the foundation of that whole performance. The barkeep! This man’s fingerwork in the shot glasses. His precision with his body placement. He is yes-and-ing every step of the way. Actively constructing the stage upon which these two flamboyant boy-os are flouncing about. He asks for nothing, yet gives us everything.
And now we’ve arrived at the peak of queer exuberance, expression, and celebration in the film.
“This Is Me” is obviously a queer anthem. We are singing about being proud of who we are. We know that we deserve love. We are no longer forcing ourselves to fit into the rigid confines society has created for us. We are bursting forth. We are GLORIOUS. Bellowing from our depths, arm and arm with our found family- all in front of an extremely gay fountain.
While acknowledging the power of this song’s lyrics, I do have to admit that my favorite element of this performance is the choreography. Specifically the queering of the “All eyes on me in the center of the ring, just like a circus” gesture that we first see in the opening number of the movie.
When we first meet PT in his vision of himself as a ring leader he tells us that, “This is the greatest show!” His feet are firmly planted on the ground, his back is ramrod straight, his top-hat clad head is tilted toward the heavens, and his arms are fully extended. Welcoming us to his kingdom. This posture exudes confidence. This is a man who built something. This is a man who knows who he is. This is a man we can depend on.
After our band of misfits crashes into spaces that were not made for them and does a funky march across the cobblestones of their town, they stand in front of a crowd of onlookers declaring “This is me!” Their feet are firmly planted, backs ramrod straight, bearded faces tilted towards the heavens and arms fully extended. Welcoming us to the world of their design.
