I saw it tonight and it deserves all the praise it has gotten.
I saw the OBC in 1997 and adored the show (I realize that I'm in a minority). The Bohemian Theatre Ensemble's production not only brought back some fine memories of the original production, it also stands firmly on its own merits.
All of the actors in the five major roles did an outstanding job, particularly Vannesa Panerosa's Daisy and Eric Lindahl's Buddy. The nine person ensemble was a versatile bunch, working hard and sounding great.
The intimate stage never looks crowded and is almost always used to its advantage, a testament to the fine direction by Stephen M. Genovese and set designer John Zuiker. Costumer Theresa Ham designed costumes that actually evoked the time period and looked era and character appropriate (which is a mark often missed by smaller scale theatres).
I'm pretty new to Chicago, so I don't know much about the company. I assume that as a small non-Equity company they don't have much of a budget (as has been the case with all the small non-Equity companies I've worked with). If that's the case with this one, you'd never know it, as the production values were high.
While there are a few directorial choices with which I disagreed, they were minor and didn't detract from the show.
I urge everyone in the area to go see this impressive production of
Side Show. With so much talent onstage and off, I plan on checking out the company's future productions as well.
Damn. Good. Show.
"How do you like THAT 'misanthropic panache,' Mr. Goldstone?" - PalJoey
