I received complimentary tickets, all opinions are my own.
Last weekend I had the chance to attend a performance of Side Show at the St. James Theatre on Broadway, and it was an amazing experience.
The show is based on the true story of Daisy and Violet Hilton, who were co-joined twins who were very popular on the vaudeville circuit. This seems like a kind of odd premise for a musical, but it really worked and the play presents a touching story of love and loss. The whole theme is about searching for love and acceptance, which is something everyone can relate to.
Daisy and Violet are played by Erin Davie and Emily Padgett, and they are phenomenal. They are very believable as twins with different personalities. Daisy wants to be a star, and Violet is more reserved and just wants to be normal. Davie and Padgett synchronize their movements and dancing, and their singing meshes together. The show stopper “Who Will Love Me As I Am?†closes the first act and is a gorgeous song.
The rest of the cast is great too, especially David St. Louis who plays the girls’ assistant Jake. He loves Violet, and the scene in which he confesses his love to her is heartbreaking. The makeup and effects on the side show freaks who are constant characters in the play are very realistic and stunning.
Unfortunately it was just announced that will be closing on January 4th, because of disappointing ticket sales. This is too bad, because it is such a unique show with great production, acting and singing. But there is still time to see it, and if you are New York I’d recommend taking it in while you can. It is a dramatic musical that really deserves to be seen by more people. You can visit the website at https://sideshowbroadway.com to see the schedule and order tickets before it is too late.
I’ve never seen a show like that before but it sounds like an amazing experience. That’s to bad that it is closing soon.
I’ve always wanted to go to a broadway show. No one in my family likes them but me.