Side Show Entrance

Who doesn’t love a bunch of singing side show freaks? Bradley’s theater program will be doing its rendition of “Side Show” the next two weekends in the Hartmann Center.
The story is based on the strange lives of two Siamese twins, Daisy and Violet. The twins are tragically conjoined in body, but blessed with spirit and beautiful voices.
Their lives may seem morbid, but the pair quickly evolves beyond their days in a circus tent and move to the rise of Vaudeville fame.
Vaudeville is a term used in the 1920s and sums up the tone of Hollywood in that era. Basically, it is a mixture of burlesque comedy, song and dance.
This is a Depression-era musical written by Bill Russell and the music was created by Henry Krieger. Krieger was the same mastermind behind the beautiful tunes of “Dream Girls”.
When this musical was first brought to Broadway, there was an interesting uproar about the storyline. With its debut in 1997, some critics were worried that portraying the lives of handicapped women would be quite controversial.
Luckily, the response was the exact opposite. Side Show was nominated for four Tony awards. The conjoined twins were nominated for best actress. This was the first time in history that two people were nominated for a single award.
Unfortunately they did not win, but this didn’t impede the popularity of the show, and the musical world developed a bit of a cult following.
Bradley’s theater department has been working on this show since late August this year. Senior theater major Kate Kennedy plays the Boss, which is the villain in the production.
“It’s a really interesting show, musically and fun to watch,” Kennedy said. “Side Show is a great show about outsiders and finding love.”
The production will run Thursday through Sunday for the next two weeks. This musical couldn’t have had a better timing with Halloween right around the corner. Take a little time out of your night to support Bradley’s theater department, if not just to get costume ideas for this year’s parties.