Performers shout, “Come look at the freaks!” to the audience from the stage of “Side Show,” a Broadway musical inspired by the true story of conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton adapted by the University of Iowa Theatre Department.
In the 1930s, the Hilton sisters were one of the highest-paying vaudeville acts and had been performing in the circus since they were children. A vaudeville act is a light piece that can be a variety of acts, including dancing, pantomime, and song.
The play centers around the theme of love — not just romantic love but also the love of a community, friendship, and sisterhood. The set expresses the strong emotions of love and the anger and sadness that come with it through the use of lighting: pink for love, red for anger, and blue for sadness.
The first time the audience meets the twins is when they celebrate a birthday, and the entire cast of the freak show sings “Happy Birthday” to them. It is a joyous and loving celebration that showcases the community the twins found in the freak show.
“That, to me, was the warmest moment in the show, and you could feel the love that Daisy and Violet had in this environment that wasn’t ideal,” costume designer Isabella Fortunato said.
The love the other performers have for the twins shined through in the song, “The Devil You Know,” in which the cast of the freak show argued back and forth about whether Daisy and Violet should leave the circus to become a vaudeville act. It was a raw and poignant song filled with love despite its angry sound.
In reading the script, Fortunato and director Paul Kalina saw the beginning of the play as the idea of othering, or separating people based on their differences.
To further illustrate the differences — or similarities — between the audience and the performers, the set was composed of revolving mirrors that reflected the audience.
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“We have a lot of moving mirrors in the set,” Kalina said. “So, we’re constantly reflecting the audience, and the audience is seeing themselves at different times on the stage while the action is going on.”
The reflection worked for audience member Emily Janio, who thought about identity after watching the show.
“It’s important to be strong and confident in who you are but to also be yourself,” Janio said.
When the twins sign on as a vaudeville act, we see how their personalities differ. Actresses Helaina Kalman and Alice Conroy make for very convincing conjoined twins while also representing each twin’s distinct personality.
Their performances interacting with the vaudeville community around them is another theme that resonated with audience members.
“Trust the people you’ve been with the longest because they might have your best interests,” audience member Calla Swanson said.
While the love of a community is a prominent theme in the play, romantic love also creeps in when Daisy and Violet fall for their managers, Terry and Buddy. Both men deny the initial romantic attraction in an interview, which devastates the twins. In an emotional and heartfelt song, both twins plead, “Who will love me as I am?”
“I have to quote Jake, my favorite character, when he says, ‘You should be loved by someone who loves you,’” Fortunato said. “I think everyone deserves love no matter who you are, and you deserve to be with people who are going to love you for who you are.”