Theatreworx : Side Show

WORDS FROM BILL RUSSELL

I'm delighted Theatreworx is bringing the Hilton Sisters back to England. They were born in Brighton in 1908 and were taken to America after WWI, where they became stars of vaudeville, earning as much as $4,000 a week - a small fortune at the height of the Depression.

We discovered the Hiltons in "Chained For Life", a terrible B movie they made in the early 50's. Because they sang and danced, I was immediately taken with the idea of writing a musical about them. Two actors appearing as conjoined twin performers seemed inherently theatrical. And researching the Hilton's lives only deepened our fascination.

There was a lag of several years between seeing "Chained For Life" and starting to write "Side Show." In the interim, a friend gave me a joke gift he'd found in a thrift shop - the Hiltons' "autobiography" which had been sold at their performances. Large parts of it were written in alternating paragraphs: "I, Daisy, may want to go shopping while my sister, Violet, has a headache." "I, Violet, often weep over something which makes my sister chuckle." Though sensationalized, the major events portrayed in the pamphlet (like Violet's wedding on the 50-yard line of the Cotton Bowl) were verifiable through other sources and there was something about the way their story was told that moved me. That booklet became the primary source material for "Side Show."

Though their lives and careers had more ups and downs than the Himalayas, the Hilton Sisters lived to the ripe old age (for conjoined twins) of 60. They died of the flu in North Carolina where they were working behind the produce counter of a grocery store.

It was not until several years into the writing of "Side Show" that I became aware many people find the very idea of conjoined twins repellent. I guess because they can't imagine what it would be like to be literally connected to another human being. But if you're born that way, if that's all you know, it's not a tragedy - it's just life. The Hilton Sisters did not wish to be separated (a snap today, but very risky back then).

In writing "Side Show" we hoped to honor these unique women. On behalf of the composer, Henry Krieger, I wish Theatreworx all the best in bringing them to life in the country from which they hailed.