As director, lead actor and general manager of Eastbourne Theatres, Chris Jordan must identify with the larger-than-life character of Phineas T. Barnum.

Wearing his commercial hat, he knows the need of a seaside theatre to make it pay while the sun shines.

Artistically, he is aware the Devonshire Park Theatre is never going to be a likely venue for The Greatest Show On Earth and he is canny enough to realise that, in straitened times, it is a foolish man who, like Barnum, assumes that "there's a sucker born every minute".

What he achieves in the current run of Cy Coleman's ebullient musical is, therefore, a considerable theatrical coup, a great night out and further evidence of the upturn in Eastbourne Theatres' artistic fortunes since his arrival.

The production recognises the limitations of space and uses all available resources to add to the magical spectacle that Barnum himself knew would pack in a captivated audience.

You are likely to be greeted at the entrance by a juggling act. The circus performers whoop it up down the aisles and the ringmaster swings and leers from the redundant side boxes.

On the stage, a panoply of circus standards unfolds - fireworks and fire-eating, tightrope, trampoline and trapeze. Chris has assembled a skilled and thoroughly committed cast.

Adam Ellis is a big talent in a feigned small body as Tom Thumb and he smiles his way through the evening as airline stewards did in happier times.

Wendy Mae Brown is a hoot as the supposed 160-year-old nanny of George Washington and then emerges as a genuinely persuasive blues singer.

Kirsty Hoiles is a model of loyalty and devotion as Barnum's put-upon but ultimately indispensable wife.

The score is not the strongest ever to appear on Broadway but the cast and the band know how to deliver a tune with tenderness or gusto as appropriate.

Sometimes the words get lost in the battle against the brass players' enthusiasm but musical numbers like One Brick At A Time, Black And White and Come Follow the Band are quality show-stoppers.

Barnum had a dream that became a burning ambition and a final reality.

You sense this production had a similar journey to the stage of the Devonshire Park Theatre and you would only be one of the impresario's "suckers" if you missed the opportunity to share in its triumph.

Review by David Wilkins: email features@theargus.co.uk