"Side Show" Discussion

This is one of my absolute favorite shows. It's not perfect, but I find it so moving and so wondeful. It opened at the wrong place at the wrong time unfortunately.

What else would you like to know?

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Worked at this fabulous show for the entire run...was not nearly as quirky as one might think. Norm Lewis KILLED practically every night, - I mean brought the house down! Something I will never forget!!
Was difficult material but I thought the production was very lovingly done, the "Egyptian" number terrific, the 2 girls were amazing, and the whole concept extremely original, daring, different, and
extraordinary in many ways, especially the depiction of the love triangle. I cried during Jeff's number, expressing his love (cinematically directed). Once again, a "difficult marketing situation".

I love this show. Fell in love with it when I saw it on the Tony's (remember when a really good show could just be up there and simply sing and blow you away?)

I very much want to play Daisy. Now just need to find a Violet who looks exactly like me... any suggestions (he he he)

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revival?
with the same cast?
haha.

i love this show. it is one of my favorites.
wish i could have seen it.

Funny, I'd just put this cast recording in my CD player before checking the board.

I got the CD after hearing Hugh Panaro talk about it.

I'd seen a clip of his interview with Seth Rudetsky where he talked about trying to sabotage his own audition by not shaving, showering, dressing awful, and picking what he figured was the wrong music...he didn't want to audition just then. (I have the clip on the Side Show page of his site...much love to Seth for letting me use it some stuff).

I had never heard of Side Show, just one song..."One Plus One Equals Three" and I couldn't quite figure what was going on there.

I asked Hugh some random question about the show one day right after I'd started his site and he really got into talking about it. Needless to say, I bought the recording the next day.

And I love it. "Who Will Love Me As I Am" really stands out...something about it just rips my heart out.

He mentions it very often because he obviously has great memories of it. After the Leading Men II concert back in February, a friend and I were chatting backstage with Hugh, Adam Jacabs and his wife. Even before Norm joined us, Hugh was off talking about "Side Show" again.

When Norm joined us right in the middle of that conversation, he opened his jacket to show us the t-shirt he was wearing...it read "Come Look At The Freaks." It was from a regional revival and Hugh said, "And you DIDN'T get me one??? You suck!"

Just based on the recording, though, it's one of my top five musicals.

I think the music's pretty good but the book is really weak and that's probably the reason why it failed. I thought the staging was also really bad in the production I saw, though, so perhaps I'm biased.

This is in my "top 5." Easily one of the shows that I most identify with. Lyrics and music are stronger than most of the hollywood musical dreck that is now on Broadway. Although I adore Emily and Alice on the OBCR, regional productions also have withstood the test for me.

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I go to CMU, and, of course, saw the production.

Most everyone in the school HATED it, (including the performers). This is because of the show itself, and because of the direction.

I think the music is nice, and sometimes powerful, but the lyrics are awful. I think they're cliche, and trite, and overtly obvious. The lyrics lack craft, and a lot of the show relies on awkward recitative. I did not see the Broadway production, but my problem is that it takes itself FAR too seriously. I think it's a very campy show, and I don't that was it's intention.

Siamese twins conjoined at the hip singing "I Will Never Leave You"? That's funny, and ironic - and not in a good way.

That said, it may be in my top five guilty pleasure musicals. Skinner, Ripley, Lewis, and McCarthy sound amazing on the recording.

Edit: But I'm really glad you enjoyed it. Seriously. I'm really glad someone enjoyed it. I know we can be critical bitches in Drama School, and it's good to know that people outside of the program were entertained by it.

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Updated On: 6/10/07 at 01:44 PM

If anyone was curious the other flop that was originally named Side Show was Stephen Sondheim's "Anyone Can Whistle" which opened in 1964 was originally named "Side Show" but they changed the title because people thought it was about a circus and it wasn't. Thank god they changed the title because who knows it might not have been open for long as it was.

I think the score is beautiful and I like some of the lyrics, but some are really bad (like "Tunnel of Love.") The cast is fantastic. I've never seen it, though, so this is just going from the OBC.

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This was a great show with some really horrifying, clunky lyrics. The rest of it is strong enough where if you don't look too hard for too long, you wouldn't notice...

That said, I didn't see it on Broadway, but I did see the regional premiere in Mountain View, CA. Loved it.
http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/10.29.98/sideshow-9843.html

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Side Show is one of my favorite theatre memories. The Broadway production was beautifully done, and it is such an emotionally charged show. Skinner and Ripley were amazing, but so was the rest of the cast. I saw it on Broadway several times, including the closing performance, which was one of those Broadway moments you remember forever. As staged, the entire cast first walked onstage together and stood facing the audience. Before a note was sung, the entire audience gave the cast a standing ovation that seemed to last forever. The closing performance was truly an emotional show for both cast and audience.