"Side Show" Preview Thread — Page 6

Yes...the end was more thrilling for me (in DC) because of the inclusion of the "freaks" from the 1932 film. For instance, Meep from "AHS: Freak Show" was inspired by Koo Koo the Bird Woman from "Freaks", who appears in the finale of "Side Show"....though Koo Koo didnt bite the heads off of chickens. They seem to have combined the Geek and Koo Koo to inspire Meep.

Koo Koo


Meep

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SIDE SHOW clearly falls into the category of "cult" show in more ways than one. While the DC reviews for this revisal were generally good, it never struck me as commercially viable, any more than the original did. Reading the comments of the show's devoted fans on the board makes this even clearer.

Since the show couldn't even sell out at the subscriber-heavy Kennedy Center, how did it get to Broadway? And where is the audience for this show?

There was really no other option than to open the show now....there was a theatre available (St James)....Jordan Roth (who runs the St James) loved the show and was eager to bring it to a Jujamcyn house....and, most importantly, Bill Condon the director had an opening in his schedule right now to do this.

Yes, but Bill Condon is not available to mount the show in April.....he has a very busy schedule....and you don't mount a Broadway production of a major show (musical or play) without the director

Some shows have difficulty getting enough backers to put on a show period . Raising enough to keep it running @ a loss for 6 months is unrealistic

Not all shows should open in the spring. Shows that may need Tony nods to build an audience need to open in the spring and this is one of them.

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The crepe-hanging around this show, three previews in, is rather dire, even for the standards of the board.

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"The crepe-hanging around this show, three previews in, is rather dire, even for the standards of the board."

A revival of a beloved culty flop should at least be able to get positive reviews from those within the cult, no? So far, even people who love the original are kinda of middle of the road on this... those are the people who need to be the show's strongest cheerleaders, one would imagine.

As someone outside the cult, I am waiting to hear more from newbies like me to see how they are receiving it. Sometimes knowing too much backstory isn't beneficial.

** The Pic is the Window Card they were selling. I purchased one.**


I was at the show last night 10/31. The orchestra was almost full. Not really sure about the mezz. I had a TDF ticket. Row L orch.

I did notice they had pre-order slips for the new cast recording.

The original holds a special place in my heart. I was a freshman in college fall of 97 and was able to see it for free numerous times. With that being said the first time... I HATED it! Funny thing is in the days after something happened. I could not get the music or show out of my head. I went back again and the 2nd time I was hooked! LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it! This show holds a special place in my heart. It spoke to the gay kid I was. A kid who was finding himself in a world that was still not 100% OK with gays. In 1997 it was exactly what I needed.

This revival is a different show. I am (for the most part) ok with the revisions. I understand the need for the backstory, but PLEASE give us back Tunnel of Love! I really missed that number. I said to my partner after the show If you took the OBC and put them into this physical production, it would run for YEARS!
I did not particularly care about the new songs OR the new/altered orchestrations! Where were the horns?
Overall, something just felt very OFF about the show last night. No excitement, no oomph. The first act just laid there flat. I am not sure if this was due to the sound, or the cast. Overall, something was missing. I still can’t pinpoint what that “something” is.

This one might need another viewing like I did with the original.

I LOVED IT!!! I will say that I thought that both wedding scene and flashback were a little slow but other than that is was awesome!! The cast and audience were on fire! Such a great night at the theatre and the orch was pretty much full and by the applause I would guess the mezz was pretty full too!

I saw Side Show earlier in the week and was blown away. I’ve been traveling with no time to put pen to paper (fingers to keyboard) until now and the longer I think about it the more thrilled I get about the experience and can’t wait to go back.

My full disclosure is that I was not impressed with the original. While friends became part of the cult and caught it several times, I found once was more than enough. I did, as time went on, fall in love with the two now famous songs but that was it.

This production is that supercharged theatrical and emotional experience we don’t see often on Broadway. For me it was musical theater nirvana. The realistic approach that this production takes vs the theatrical conceit of the original pulls you into the piece more effectively and enhances the story telling more emotionally. The original in my memory was almost all sung through allowing for too much simple lyric sing-songy recitative that IMO limited the smartness of the whole. This production has a more traditional song/scene structure which enriched the reality of the whole and lessened the impact of the lyricality which I had an issue with in the original. It actually enhanced the success of the songs IMO.

The cast is amazing lead by the now irreplaceable Emily Padgett and Erin Davie – I am in love with these women. They wrenched my heart out and brought tears to my eyes several times. The rest of the cast are just as strong but I have to give special kudos to the ensemble who not only play the side show performers in elaborate make up, costumes and prosthetics but all the other miscellaneous characters – you forget they are the same actors – backstage must be a whirlwind of changes for them.

The scene or moment which sealed the deal for me this time around was “Say Goodbye To The Side Show” the combination of song and production effects ripped into my soul. To look at all these literal freaks saying goodbye to the girls knowing how impossible leaving was for any of them based on their physical deformity and knowing that the girls shot at normality was also a pipe dream that would have to catch up with them gave me goose bumps followed by tears - that for me is what theater is all about. We were all in the moment.

There were so many more moments like that throughout the evening and the audience rode it like a roller coaster. I have not been a part of such an appreciative crowd since Kinky Boots. Side Show sends the audience out into the intermission and the street after the final curtain on a high with those two now infamous songs. Word of mouth walking through the crowd at both points was extremely positive and excited. The show has crossed over into an audience pleaser this time around vs the cult or niche pleaser the original was.

For me Daisy & Violet Hilton and Side Show now rank up there with Mama Rose, Evita Peron, Mame Dennis , Dolly Levi and their shows.

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Updated On: 11/2/14 at 10:35 AM

Up, you are a really good reviewer. I agree with all your comments. I had the chance to see the show last night. It was a perfect evening of theater. Very polished production elements. The Kennedy Center out of town tryout gave the cast a chance to be comfortable in the roles. Emily and Erin are transcendent. Their performances are haunting and beautiful at the same time. I hope the Tony awards recognize them as one actor. Don't see how you could nominate one and not the other. But, they both deserve it independent of being joined at the hip. The male leads were just OK for me. I would like to go again in a few weeks.

After 17 years of waiting for a revival I finally got to see this on Friday night. Loving the original I was very skeptical about this production, especially after hearing some of the negative comments on here. I should know better by now then to listen to some of these posters. I couldn't agree more then with Up In One's review. Emily & Erin are Broadway's new gems. I already bought my ticket for a return this month.

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