A Chat with The Greatest Showman Homebrew Pinball Team
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The homebrew pinball scene is a community filled with passionate creators who pour their hearts and souls into one-of-a-kind, playable machines, sometimes just for the fun of it. In 2024, The Greatest Showman pinball machine made a splash when it debuted, nabbing awards for “Best in Show” and “Best Homebrew Pinball Game” at the world-renowned Pinball Expo. Beneath the flashy lights, these projects take hundreds of hours of work, and the stories of how they get made are often just as entertaining as the final product.
Based on the 2017 musical film of the same name, starring Hugh Jackman, The Greatest Showman is a circus-themed pin that's both a feast for the eyes and fun to play, created with a donor playfield from the classic 1990 Williams game, Whirlwind. Though I caught a glance of The Greatest Showman at Pinball Expo, I only recently got the chance to play it at Pincinnati 2024, and came away with nothing but good impressions. The game's creators, husband-and-wife duo Jeffrey and Lisa Sue Jones, were kind enough to give me the full story on how they got into pinball, the ups and downs of homebrew development, and an upcoming project that's being kept tightly under wraps. It's an inspiring tale of persuasion, patience, and going “all in” on a project no matter how intimidating it may seem.
Note: This interview has been edited for content, clarity, and length.
Interview with Jeffrey and Lisa Sue Jones, Creators of The Greatest Showman Pinball Machine
Matt Owen: Firstly, congratulations on winning “Best in Show” at Pinball Expo! For the game's debut, that must've been rewarding. How did you enjoy your trip?
Jeffrey Jones (Game Co-Creator): It was great! We had a lot of fun watching everyone play the game, and we've made some tweaks based on the feedback we got from the show. For example, we added a headphone jack to the front of the cabinet, so players can get the entire music and sound experience, even when they're in a loud environment like this.
Lisa Sue Jones (Game Co-Creator): Expo was wonderful, but I was a bit nervous, since it was the debut of our game. We certainly didn't expect any awards... especially since this is the first homebrew we've ever made. We just didn't want anyone to tell us that our baby was ugly.
Matt: That'd be hard to believe, the game is beautiful. So, take me back to the beginning. How did you guys get into pinball?
Jeffrey: I always had the dream of having a movie theater in my home, so when I bought a house, I got to work. I wanted it to feel like an actual cinema, complete with a candy counter, popcorn machine, and a pinball machine. The first machine we got was a Six Million Dollar Man, and at first, I was nervous about servicing it, but I learned pretty quickly. Since then, we've owned roughly 70 different machines, with about 15 currently in the collection, and I've been doing restoration for around a decade.
Matt: And you liked them so much, you wanted to make your own, eh? What made you pick The Greatest Showman as your theme?
Lisa Sue: I loved the movie when I first saw it in 2017. It's such a brilliant film. The spectacle, the music, everything was excellent.
Jeffrey: After she saw it for the first time, Lisa Sue tried to convince me to go see it, but I'm not a big fan of musicals. After the second time she saw it in theaters, we went together for a third viewing, and I have to admit, I liked it a lot. Later, she suggested that I make a Greatest Showman pinball, but I was just too busy for the project and certainly didn't have time to learn how to code. Well, roughly two years ago, she suggested it again, and promised to learn how to do all of the coding if I built the machine.
Lisa Sue: That was a mistake.
Matt: Oh? How much coding experience did you have prior?
Lisa Sue: None. I had never written a line of code in my entire life until 4 months before Pinball Expo. I learned all on my own, mostly through trial and error, while getting essential help from the Mission Pinball Framework community, and a lot of trial and error. The coding was all done using Mission Pinball, which is an open-source software that uses Python, so I started with the basics and worked my way up. Honestly, it was extremely frustrating. Let me tell you, there are tears in pinball, no matter what anyone else says. But, when you finally learn a new skill or solve a problem that's been bugging you, it's very satisfying. Plus, I like making everything look pretty and polished.
Matt: Again, you did a fantastic job. The light shows and LCD animations are a standout. I also love the art, who was responsible for that?
Jeffrey: I worked with mainly one artist named Jay French, though another artist name Alexey Kot did about 10% of the artwork. I first worked with Alexey many years ago, when I commissioned him to draw a fan art poster for The Greatest Showman. A group of collectors and I had it screen-printed for our private collections. Alexey did not have time to draw more artwork that was needed for the pinball machine, so Jay incorporated Alexey's artwork along with his own. It was a collaboration. I had ideas of what I wanted, but Jay would often come up with something outstanding too. Once all the artwork was finished, a company called Graphic Dimensions printed the playfield, translite, and the decals. Basically, all the printing needs were done by Graphic Dimensions.
Matt: The voice on the call-outs sounds pretty familiar too...
Jeffrey: That's Jeff Teolis! He was so fun to work with and such a nice guy.
Matt: It all makes sense now. Everything is better when Jeff is narrating it. Anyway, what made you choose Whirlwind as the base for the re-theme, anything in particular?
Lisa Sue: We really like the original game, in fact, we currently own one. The rings on the playfield also match up with the “Three Ring Circus” theme. In fact, if you look at the artwork on the spinning discs, you'll see performers in the three rings. We really like the playfield layout too. A few months after we began, we heard another team was starting a homebrew based on Whirlwind too.
Matt: Now that I'm really starting to think of everything involved in this process, it sounds like a mammoth undertaking. What was it like tackling the project as a married couple?
Lisa Sue: Well, it's good because you're always so close to each other. You can easily share ideas with each other and get feedback on your work. Of course, there were a few instances of bickering...
Jeffrey: (jokingly points toward Lisa Sue) Mostly one-sided...
Lisa Sue: But I still think it was a wonderful time.
Matt: The finished project speaks volumes to your collaboration and creativity. So, what are your plans for the future?
Jeffrey: We still have the “Collect Oddities” wizard mode left to add. Once you complete all of the mini-challenges that are currently in the game, you'll be able to collect oddities one at a time, by hitting 3 specific targets in any order. 8 oddities will need to be collected in total to accomplish the mode.
Lisa Sue: And then there will be a six-ball multiball!
Matt: That sounds like an appropriately exciting finale. How about a new project? Do you have anything brewing behind the scenes?
Jeffrey: Actually, we have started working on our next project, but we are waiting until the art is further along before we announce the theme. We understand that The Greatest Showman is a niche theme. I can assure you that our next theme is not niche at all and based on an extremely well-loved movie.
Lisa Sue: It's “comedy gold”.
Matt: Awesome, I love it. Well, thanks again for sharing your time and letting everyone check out the game. You did some stellar work on The Greatest Showman, I can't wait to see what you come up with next.
During the weekend at Pincinnati, I played The Greatest Showman more times than any other machine on the show floor, eager to bank a high score at the circus. With every passing attempt, I grew more enamored with Jeffrey and Lisa Sue's game, noticing the fine touches on the art and admiring the dazzling lights. Like the couple who created it, it's a warm and approachable game that's packed with personality, an obvious result of extremely hard work and loads of passion. It seems like everyone at the convention also enjoyed The Greatest Showman just as much as I did, with the game nabbing another “Best in Show” win, capping off the year in style.
For more information on Jeffrey and Lisa Sue's next game, you can check out the PinBall ReBorn page on Facebook for announcements and updates. If you're at Pinball Expo or Pincinnati in the coming years, don't forget to check the homebrew section for a chance to play the games yourself!
