Side Show

[edjames]

i caught an early preview of this beloved Broadway musical last night.

 

Side Show is a musical by Bill Russell (book and lyrics) and Henry Krieger (music) based on the lives of Daisy and Violet Hilton, a circus act of conjoined twins who became famous stage performers in the 1930s.

 

The musical opened on Broadway on October 16, 1997. Robert Longbottom directed and choreographed, and the cast starred Emily Skinner as Daisy and Alice Ripley as Violet. Despite receiving some positive reviews, the show closed on January 4, 1998 after 91 performances.

 

This revival has been updated The show has a "darker approach" and "incorporates new songs as well as additional biographical details of the Hilton twins' life and historical figures of the era." Many who saw the original production fell in love with it and it's score. This revival will not disappoint. Revived this summer at the Kennedy Center in DC, and previously at La Jolla playhouse it's now on Broadway at the St. James theater.

 

A superb cast helps to elevate the score. The girls are marvelous. Although an odd story line, the audience was captivated with this show last night. The audience cheered and applauded at the end of many of the numbers. The loudest and most boisterous applause came from upstairs in the mezz and balcony. The repeated urtain calls were met with instantaneous standing ovations.

 

There was on;y two glitches during this early preview performance. A mechanical problem with the set interrupted the first act for about 5 minutes and one of the girls shoes became untied in the second act.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed this production. i hope it does better than the original. Wouldn't it be nice if Erin Davie and Emily Padgett are nominated together for a Tony as were Emily Skinner and Alice Ripley, and wouldn't it be a hoot if they won!

[+ WilliamM]

i caught an early preview of this beloved Broadway musical last night.

 

Side Show is a musical by Bill Russell (book and lyrics) and Henry Krieger (music) based on the lives of Daisy and Violet Hilton, a circus act of conjoined twins who became famous stage performers in the 1930s.

 

The musical opened on Broadway on October 16, 1997. Robert Longbottom directed and choreographed, and the cast starred Emily Skinner as Daisy and Alice Ripley as Violet. Despite receiving some positive reviews, the show closed on January 4, 1998 after 91 performances.

 

This revival has been updated The show has a "darker approach" and "incorporates new songs as well as additional biographical details of the Hilton twins' life and historical figures of the era." Many who saw the original production fell in love with it and it's score. This revival will not disappoint. Revived this summer at the Kennedy Center in DC, and previously at La Jolla playhouse it's now on Broadway at the St. James theater.

 

A superb cast helps to elevate the score. The girls are marvelous. Although an odd story line, the audience was captivated with this show last night. The audience cheered and applauded at the end of many of the numbers. The loudest and most boisterous applause came from upstairs in the mezz and balcony. The repeated urtain calls were met with instantaneous standing ovations.

 

There was on;y two glitches during this early preview performance. A mechanical problem with the set interrupted the first act for about 5 minutes and one of the girls shoes became untied in the second act.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed this production. i hope it does better than the original. Wouldn't it be nice if Erin Davie and Emily Padgett are nominated together for a Tony as were Emily Skinner and Alice Ripley, and wouldn't it be a hoot if they won!

 

I am trying to think of previews of another recent revival of a beloved musical, that received that kind of response ("The audience cheered and applauded at the end of many of the numbers. The loudest and most boisterous applause came from upstairs in the mezz and balcony. The repeated curtain calls were met with instantaneous standing ovations.").

 

It did not happen during previews of "Follies," "A Little Night Music" or even "South Pacific."

 

I did not see the original production of "Side Show," but really like the original cast recording. I have always thought of "Side Show" as a cult musical, but know that people love the Washington production of this revival.

 

Ed, what is your prediction about how long the "Side Show" revival on Broadway will run...will it still be there for the Tony awards in June?

[+ purplekow]

I had tickets for tonight's preview and the stars aligned to prevent me from getting there. Show starts in 15 minutes. First my companion for the evening was hospitalized. (He is fine but not up for a night on Broadway) Then, when i decided to forge on alone, I got a flat tire and by the time I got to the train station, I had missed the train by about 5 minutes. If I hadnt left the tickets in my office, I would have made it but it was not to be. So now I am looking at getting a post date ticket for a non sold out performance, which is better than just pasting the tickets on a wall for wall paper. So I hope it runs long enough for me to see it.

[edjames]

Review are in and they are very good. Hopefully in for a long run.

 

http://nypost.com/2014/11/17/bill-condon-helps-revive-cult-musical-side-show-on-broadway/

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/18/theater/side-show-directed-by-bill-condon-returns-to-broadway.html?ref=arts&_r=0

[+ Chris Eisenhower]

I saw this in DC and while the girls ARE phenomenal... but I thought the storyline was exactly what you would expect about these sorts of characters.

 

I wish there were more dramatic surprises, or that the plot would have included what really happened to the girls and how they ended up, and how they died. That's some tragedy.

[foxy]

There's an interesting documentary called Bound By Flesh on Netflix that fills in all the gaps that the musical couldn't cover. Not surprisingly they didn't have a happy ending.

[edjames]

Alas, closing notice posted for Jan 4. Kicked out of the theater!

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/13/theater/side-show-reportedly-to-end-broadway-run-in-january.html?ref=arts&_r=0