Chris Moss from The Telegraph takes a look at Showtown, the museum of fun and entertainment opening this Friday.

He writes: "A new cutting-edge museum, Showtown – opening on March 15 – adds not only a cultural heavyweight to the town’s diverse offering, it also explains and articulates Blackpool’s enduring appeal, uniqueness and, even, its shortcomings and challenges."

"Billed as a “museum of fun and entertainment”, and with a loud, even garish colour scheme and interactive displays, it’s intended to appeal to young people and families. Laughing bags and fake poo are among the exhibits. But this museum is also a significant cultural asset."

"Six galleries spread over 10,000 square feet take visitors on a time-travelling journey through the effervescent passions that created Blackpool: Seaside, Magic, Circus, Illuminations, Shows and Dance. Original costumes, props, puppets, posters, programmes, disco booths and dance floors provide physical evidence. Voices and visual collages relate the stories. Film clips and posters remind us of the greats – and curiosities – who have performed at the town’s piers and theatres – from Gracie Fields to the “Amazing Telepathic Girl”, George Formby to Winifred Atwell, Orville to Peter Kay (whose Ribena-coloured Amarillo suit is on show)."

Lots of the elements – Punch and Judy shows, stand-up comedy, the Gipsy Petulengro – can of course be experienced out on the prom, but there’s something to be said for giving popular cultural artefacts the museum treatment. You think, reflect, question. That’s very much the intention of the models of caged circus animals and the prodder used to make the tiger growl. Why are clowns and ventriloquists’ dummies so frightening? Why do people visit fortune tellers on holiday? Why do the Blackpool Lights continue to draw massive crowds when there’s more technology in a smartphone? It’s also quite something to see the tooth marks in the bit used by an “Iron Jaw” trapeze artist. 

But Showtown impresses because of the quality of the curation. Council researchers, illustrator Alex Williamson (who made the collages) and highly regarded museum designers Casson Mann have worked together to bring the “golden age” to life, without making it feel removed or in any way dusty and sepia-tinged. The objects, ephemera and stories garnered from the Blackpool Council collections, together with items loaned from the V&A, plus rarely shown items from performers and the Strictly wardrobe, combine to create an engaging and diverting experience.