Side Show is a musical about Daisy and Violet Hilton, conjoined Twins who make a change from being a circus act to becoming famous stage performers in the 1930s. The show was written by Bill Russell (book and lyrics) and Henry Krieger (music). The show starred Alice Ripley as Violet and Emily Skinner as Daisy. It opened on Broadway on October 16, 1997, and ran for 91 performances at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Despite critical acclaim, the show closed on January 4, 1998. It was later nominated for four Tony Awards in 1998:

• Best Musical
• Best Book of a Musical
• Best Original Musical Score
• Best Actress in a Musical

Although Side Show won none of these awards, it was the first and only time that two actresses were co-nominated for Best Actress in a Musical as a team (if they had won, they would have won together). At the Tony Awards ceremony, the two stars performed the show's most popular number, "I Will Never Leave You." The other show-stopping number was "Who Will Love Me As I Am?", the closing number of Act 1. Audiences loved the harmonious blend of Alice Ripley and Emily Skinner's voices so much that the two actresses successfully released two albums of duets (Duets and Unsuspecting Hearts).

Other members of the cast who have gone on to successful endeavors on Broadway include Jeff McCarthy (Urinetown), Hugh Panaro (The Phantom of Opera, Lestat) Norm Lewis (The Wild Party, Dessa Rose, Les Miserables, The Little Mermaid) and J. Robert Spencer (Jersey Boys, Next to Normal).

The show has had several successful regional productions throughout the country, and has attained a loyal "cult" following. One notable regional premiere was the 1999 Denver production by the Physically Handicapped Actors & Musical Artists League. While many were initially uncomfortable with the idea of disabled actors portraying "freaks," the production was ultimately well received and was presented with several awards including the Denver Mayor's Award for Excellence in the Arts. The show also saw a critically-acclaimed revival at Corn Stock Theatre's Winter Playhouse in Peoria, Illinois in March 2008 directed by Chip Joyce.

An abridged version of Side Show was presented at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC October 2-5, 2008 as part of their Broadway: Three Generations production. Jenn Colella and Lisa Brescia played Daisy and Violet, respectively, Bobby Steggert played Buddy and Max von Essen played Terry.

Original Broadway Cast

• Emily Skinner as Daisy Hilton
• Alice Ripley as Violet Hilton
• Norm Lewis as Jake
• Jeff McCarthy as Terry Connor
• Hugh Panaro as Buddy Foster
• Ken Jennings as The Boss

First Post-Broadway Regional Production

In 1998, TheatreWorks, a critically acclaimed professional theater company on the San Francisco Peninsula, produced the first post-Broadway production of Side Show at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. TheatreWorks received national attention within the theatrical community for being the first regional theater to gain access to the rights to mount the production, closely on the heels of the recently closed Broadway production. TheatreWorks' production was a critical and popular success, receiving the Garland Award (Los Angeles) and various Dean Goodman Critics Choice Awards (San Francisco). The production afforded TheatreWorks its largest first day of ticket sales on their records for a single production. Subsequently, 2 extra performances were added to meet the demand.

TheatreWorks' production was directed by Robert Kelley and Bick Goss (Goss also choreographed) with musical direction by Lita Libaek. In an interesting twist, the production featured actress Kristin Behrendt playing the role of Daisy. Behrendt had been the standby for (and performed) the role of Violet (Daisy's other "half") in the original Broadway cast.

Principals in the TheatreWorks production:

• Kristin Behrendt as Daisy
• Debra Wiseman as Violet
• AJ Vincent as Terry Connor
• Pierce Peter Brandt as Buddy Foster
• Stephonne Smith as Jake
• Ron Josef Meier as The Boss

Songs

Act I

• Come Look At The Freaks – The Boss and Company
• Like Everyone Else – Daisy Hilton and Violet Hilton
• You Deserve A Better Life – Terry Connor and Buddy Foster
• Crazy, Deaf and Blind – The Boss
• The Devil You Know – Jake and Company
• More Than We Bargained For – Terry Connor and Buddy Foster
• Feelings You've Got To Hide – Daisy Hilton and Violet Hilton
• When I'm By Your Side – Daisy Hilton and Violet Hilton
• Say Goodbye To The Freak Show – Company
• Overnight Sensation – Terry Connor and Reporters
• Leave Me Alone – Daisy Hilton and Violet Hilton
• We Share Everything – Daisy Hilton, Violet Hilton and Vaudevillian
• The Interview – Daisy Hilton, Violet Hilton and Reporters
• Who Will Love Me As I Am? – Daisy Hilton, Violet Hilton, and Company

Act II

• Rare Songbirds On Display – Company
• New Year's Day – Terry Connor, Buddy Foster, Jake, Daisy Hilton, Violet Hilton and Company
• Private Conversation – Terry Connor and Daisy Hilton
• One Plus One Equals Three – Buddy Foster, Daisy Hilton, Violet Hilton, and the Vale Sisters
• You Should Be Loved – Jake and Violet Hilton
• Tunnel Of Love – Terry Connor, Buddy Foster, Daisy Hilton, Violet Hilton, and Company
• Beautiful Day For A Wedding – The Boss and Hawkers
• Marry Me, Terry – Terry Connor and Daisy Hilton
• I Will Never Leave You – Daisy Hilton and Violet Hilton
• Finale – Company

External links