On Monday, Sept. 21 at 6 p.m., join voice-over actor and P.T. Barnum enthusiast Will Sarris as he hosts the Barnum Museum’s Executive Director Kathleen Maher for an engaging conversation about Phineas Taylor Barnum – a man gifted with the ability to effortlessly blur the line between reality and fiction. This free event will be streamed live by the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at thequicklive.com.

Hugh Jackman stars as impresario P.T. Barnum in the rags-to-riches tale depicted in the 2017 film The Greatest Showman. Also starring Zac Ephron, Zendaya, and Michelle Williams, the movie follows Barnum’s rise from brash dreamer with nothing to lose, to ringmaster of a circus brimming with exotic oddities and thrilling never-before-seen live spectacles. But how much of the 2017 film is Hollywood imagination and how much is historically accurate?

Sarris and Maher’s lively virtual discussion on Sept. 21 will captivate viewers with an engaging journey through key elements in the movie, sharing little-known facts to “set the record straight.” From the portrayal of Barnum’s childhood in Connecticut to his final bow in the world-famous Barnum & Bailey circus, Maher will expand on the screenplay’s storyline and reveal truths perhaps even more remarkable and fantastic than Hollywood imagined.

If you haven’t seen the movie, The Greatest Showman is available for streaming on Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, and Netflix. Catch it this weekend and then tune in to thequicklive.com on Monday for the Quick’s presentation, “The Greatest Showman — Fiction vs. Fact! The Real Story Behind the Reel Story.” To learn more about the Barnum Museum, visit their website at barnum-museum.org. To learn more about the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts’ 50+ FREE virtual events this season, visit quickcenter.com.