Blazing talent is center stage in this presentation of the cult favorite, Side Show. Erin Davie, as the gentle, shy, “Siamese twin” Violet Hilton is superb. If possible, Emily Padgett is even more outstanding as outgoing, aspirational Daisy Hilton. There is a real vein of sadness and horror in their story. As mere babies, they were put into the hands of cruel guardians who wished only to take advantage of them. The girls are now of age but doomed to continue being the chattel of their ringmaster, the evil Sir, who claims they are his daughters but who treats them like his slaves.
Robert Joy is the perfect mixture of Alan Cumming’s Cabaret character nightmare, and Robert Carlyle’s Mr. Gold/ Rumpelstiltskin in TV’s “Once Upon A Time.” That he’s able to wring a drop of sympathy from the Hiltons and from us is a tribute to his fine acting.
Completely lacking in confidence, and devoid of hope, Violet and Daisy are discovered working in the sideshow by Terry Connor, who desperately needs a good act to get him back on the Orpheum Circuit. He’s convinced that the twins can make it big in Vaudeville, which is flourishing in the depression era. He convinces the girls to sign on with him, much to the dismay of their carny friends, who are their real family. As the handsome Terry, Ryan Silverman has a Gene Kelly vibe which serves him well. It’s easy to see why Daisy falls for him. Terry convinces song-and-dance man Buddy Foster (Matthew Hydzik) to work with the budding stars, and to develop their singing voices. Violet develops a crush on the affable Buddy; though he has real affection for her, his personal sexual preference doesn’t allow him to fall in love with her.
A high point in the production features Terry and Violet in a fantasy dance, a la Fred and Ginger. The costumes are perfect, the emotions run high, and, at that moment, anything seems possible. The idea that the twins could be separated by surgery fuels Terry’s ardor, and he becomes obsessed with thinking that the object of his affection could be his alone. The women have heard and rejected the pitch for separation before, many times, and always rejected it. They both yearn for love, and the idea of being a free, independent person is alluring, but at what price?
For Violet, love has always been there for her, in the person of Jake, their friend and protector who elects to follow them into their new life. David St. Louis brings down the house with his powerful song of yearning. He would be able to love Violet as she deserves to be loved. But just as the world can’t see beyond the novelty of the conjoining, she can’t see beyond the surface to accept Jake as her lover.
The sets and costumes enhance the production; it’s especially rewarding to watch Daisy and Violet change from scared little brunette girls in pink into blonde bombshells with plenty of pizzazz. The red spangled Charleston dress is especially glam, matching nicely the new-found confidence that their stardom on the vaudeville circuit has made possible. But at the end of the day, Daisy and Violet realize that they can count only on each other.
Comparing this version of Side Show with the original 1997 production, the changes that have been made work well. Davie and Padgett aren’t as All-American-Girl pretty as Emily Skinner and Alice Ripley, but their transformation becomes that much more dramatic. In both cases, the voices are exceptionally well trained and beautiful. The music is just as haunting. It’s debatable whether or not the representation of the freaks on stage helps or distracts. Both versions will have devotees; here’s hoping that a whole new audience will discover Side Show through this production, and that old fans will once again thrill to the compelling saga of the Hilton sisters.
