Editing Michael Crawford (section)

====''Barnum''====
Also in 1981, Crawford starred in the original London production of [[Cy Coleman]]'s ''[[Barnum (musical)|Barnum]]'' (1981) as the illustrious American showman [[P. T. Barnum]]. He trained at the ''Big Apple Circus School'' in New York City to prepare for the ambitious stunts, learning to walk the tight-rope, juggle and slide down a rope from the rafters of the theatre. After further training for the second opening of ''Barnum'', he was awarded a British Amateur Gymnastics Association badge and certificate as a qualified coach.<ref name="parcel"/>

''Barnum'' opened on 11 June 1981 at the [[London Palladium]], where it ran for 655 performances. Crawford and [[Deborah Grant]] headed the cast. It was well-received, becoming a favourite of [[Margaret Thatcher]] as well as the [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother|Queen Mother]]. Crawford earned his first [[Olivier Award]] for Best Actor in a Musical on the London stage. After the initial production of the show, he worked extensively with [[Torvill and Dean]], and can be seen rinkside with them as they received their "perfect six" marks in the 1983 world championships for their 'Barnum' routine.<ref>{{YouTube|o2UkD0tGitI|Crawford with Torvill & Dean receiving marks at World championships 1983}}</ref><ref>Hennessey, John. ''Torvill & Dean; David & Charles'' (1983); {{ISBN|0-7153-8476-7}}</ref>

In 1984 a revival of ''Barnum'' opened in [[Manchester]] at the [[Manchester Opera House|Opera House]], ending the tour at the [[Victoria Palace Theatre|Victoria Palace]] in the West End. In 1986 this production, with a new cast, though still headed by Crawford, was recorded for television and broadcast by the BBC. Crawford's ''Barnum'' is one of the longest runs by a leading actor.