Theatreworx

OVERALL PRODUCTION

On receiving very enlightening information from Steve Blackmore, regarding the history of Daisy and Violet Hilton including childhood photographs extending into teenage and adulthood, I became fascinated with their story from many aspects, not least that they lived until their 61st year and had developed many artistic talents such as singing, dancing and playing musical entrances and yes there is photographic evidence of one of them, I presume Daisy, because she is sitting to the left embracing a young man. None of this had I really contemplated before any farther than the baby stage, when you see, Siamese twins always laughing and smiling, lying on a hospital bed surrounded by Doctors and discreetly not exposing the actual 'join'. Therefore the script of 'Side Show' opened up a new awareness of a world belonging to Daisy and Violet and the people they met on their difficult and courageous journey of abandonment and eventual death, alone in rented rooms in North Carolina in 1969. 'Side Show' of course only takes us up to Violet's marriage.

I am not surprised that 'Side Show' has taken so many accolades, it has all the ingredients of good theatre, romance. pathos and an optimistic hope in the future from Daisy and Violet's perspective. I felt as a member of the audience, that their lives were doomed to eventual failure and perhaps this and the fact that there is a lack of humour in the Show, accounts for its failure to fill theatres for the general public. Having said that, 'Blood Brothers', 'Les Mis', 'Miss Saigon' and so on do very well. Perhaps Bill Russell's comments provide the answer.

Your enthusiastic audience response must have reassured you that your choice of Show had been a great success, well worth putting on as an exciting U.K. Premier and had certainly fulfilled the aims of your mission with Theatreworx.

A very high standard of acting and singing had been achieved, the characters were detailed and skilfully portrayed, above all you had a superb Daisy and Violet who gave riveting performances that will stay with mc for a long time.

The contemporary music was exciting and expressive, the lyrics covering a wide range of emotions, the energetic choreography had vitality and captured the contrasting moods.

The set was a little below standard of all the above, but I could understand the problem of depicting a seedy run down fairground and not having the resources to create a change to the more affluent vaudeville, then to the glitzy follies and finally to the prestigious Texas Centennial The costumes went a long way to make up for this, they were all deliciously 'showbiz'.

The lighting was another technical problem at times which I will comment on at more length

MUSICAL DIRECTION AND SINGING

Although there were no 'catchy' melodies as such, I enjoyed the music very much. The principals and chorus had clearly been well rehearsed and sang with confidence interpreting the essential emotions, whether with irony, resentment, anticipation, anger or affection. The music to me, had resonances of Sondheim in that some of the lyrics were almost recitative. I was impressed with the dynamics that the orchestra brought out so well, the dialogue naturally blending into song.

The vigorous orchestra was dangerously near to eclipsing the singers now and again, the volume balanced with the body mics cannot be solely relied upon.

CHOREOGRAPHY

Another exciting feature of the Show that depicted the change of Daisy and Violet's environment, symbolising their progress for the better.

The dramatic impact of 'Come Look At The Freaks' was imaginatively captured, the eavesdroppers literally hanging from the upper level and curling round the set were very effective, The 'Attractions' for 'The Devil You Know' number was a powerful highlight. Daisy and Violet's choreography throughout the Show was 'a real sensation' and so well executed. The archaeologists and the Egyptian number was in true Vaudeville style. The follies numbers 'Rare Birds On Display' was a treat with the ostrich fans, glitter and so on, 'One Plus One Equals Three' was another Show stealer, with Buddy given a solo opportunity. The movement also blended naturally with the lyrics and text to achieve a sense of cohesion,

COSTUMES

These were outstanding. Daisy and Violet's costumes wore excellent being of almost an identical size was another fortuitous aspect of the casting and with the accompanying wigs, they looked amazingly alike their facial differences complimented their characters. Every outfit was a visual treat with a most attractive sense of colour and period,

I enjoyed the period suits for the men and the overall look of the late Twenties, early Thirties,

The 'freak" costumes which wore quite elaborate in some cases, were intriguing and dramatic. The vaudeville and follies were splendid, the Egyptian costumes for the former were a highlight, the sparkle and glamour of the latter, pure magic.

John Cousins should be warmly congratulated which I am sure he was!

SET DESIGN AND LIGHTING

The simple basic set on two levels, the upper tier being high enough to use and hang curtaining to represent the entrance backstage, was a more than adequate arrangement. The changes to the backstage area acceptable, the token stage dressing, was likewise convincing. The raised 'benches' were effective focal points especially for 'The Tunnel of Love',

The menacing props for the 'Attractions' were a tour do force.

The light spillage seemed rather limited, it was always well focused on the twins and whoever was engaged with them, creating a magical effect as we wore drawn into their situation and our sympathetic interest built up, In other words the lighting for the centre of the acting area worked well but the peripheral areas were, excuse the pun, dim. This was a problem for the 'Attractions' for instance, who had been painstakingly costumed. When characters moved into the central area it was fine, but of course with such a big cast dancing and so on they couldn't always be seen, maybe a roving spot to allow us to see them individually at the beginning would have helped.

'The Tunnel Of Love' sequence was disappointing and I felt needed more rehearsal, perhaps quick changes of coloured light alternating into darkness, rather as if they were travelling round the tunnel, would have worked.

INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES

Daisy and Violet Hilton

The two protagonists are quite difficult to separate when thinking of them as individuals as you both worked together superbly as a unit, which was the whole point of the Play, or inextricably, for want of a better word.

Daisy's ambitions and desire to be looked at and admired was her through line, she was also very attracted to men and this was apparent straight away as we saw her flirtatious reaction to Terry and her provocative body language. A most attractive singing voice switched effortlessly between the text and score with varying degrees of intensity, 'Feelings You've Got To Hide' was sung with bitter resignation but couldn't be sustained emotionally for either of you, whilst 'When I'm By Your Side' was light and joyous as you were happily entertaining people 'Leave Me Alone' was a very moving statement about your restricting predicament and sung with great feeling, leading onto the poignant 'Who Will Love Me As I Am', 'Private Conversation' when Daisy was alone in a fantasy with Terry was sensitively understood. The changes of emotion were often heartfelt by the audience and skilfully interpreted by you both, above all by facial expressions. The proximity of the audience enabled us to see every thought process and nuance of feeling. Clearly a lot of preparation had gone into your characters motivation and subtext. Daisy was the stronger and more able to withstand the constant set backs and rejection, Violet was more vulnerable, gentle and serene. Her scenes with the naive Buddy were sincere and aptly heartbroken when he became coldly unresponsive. A lovely singing voice engaged us with the emotional content of the songs and exchange of dialogue with Daisy. Your love and loyalty to each other was a powerful force that in the final analysis was the only thing you could rely on, 'I Will Never Leave You' was a searing triumph,

Terry Connor

Terry started off by being a detached entrepreneur personality and really remained so. His brief attraction to the determined Daisy became sexual only for a short time during which he showed great feelings of unsatisfied passion because he desperately wanted Daisy to be alone, an impossible wish 'Private Conversation'. Later we see him lose control in the tunnel of love, where the script says 'he ravages Daisy'. All this was acted out with the suave self assurance of a mature hard headed business man, just the sort of personality that would use and abuse the Hilton Sisters, but nevertheless was a realist. This was a high quality performance and here again an in depth study had been made to find the truth in the interaction with the girls and Buddy.

Buddy Foster

A completely different personality to Terry but perhaps more damaging in his naivety, I enjoyed this performance very much on the whole, the excellent singing and dancing ability of this performer always impresses and I must add my best wishes, whilst I have the opportunity, for the good news of his future training for the profession at Guildford.

Back to considering Buddy, that I have spent some time in doing. There is something about the writing and placing of this character that makes him seem a little uninvolved, There was a tendency for him to appear spasmodically, far less than Terry, do his 'Bit' and then fade into the background. I felt he should have been more focused on Violet, always hanging around near her, listening to her every word etc, whilst he fell superficially as it turned out, in love, In other words more work was needed to integrate his character into the story, I also sensed a little unease from the actor in the role. All the emotions were expressed, the enthusiasm at the beginning, the encouragement, the sympathetic feelings for Violet, but niggling doubt 'More Than We Bargained For' The spontaneous proposal and then regret and failure to carry it through, were all there, but with some reservation as explained.

Jake

I attended on the Thursday and do hope that Simon Vardakis is now fully recovered. I had the pleasure of seeing Steve Williams and must add my congratulations, I am sure to a long line, on his great trouper attitude in taking on the role at very short notice! A very warm and pleasant singing voice did full justice to the music and expressed his turbulent feelings towards the twins especially Violet and his entrapment with the boss. The violent performance and movement in the 'Side Show' was a highlight. His clumsy and uncouth personality added to the pathos as he saw the twins being exploited and Violet's unwise engagement, the inner suffering came through most convincingly. A memorable portrayal.

The Boss

A relentless bully dominated the stage and personified the worst of Daisy and Violet's ruthless exploiters, Appearance and voice carried through a sort of Victorian image of cruelty.

The busy and Versatile chorus playing many parts from Side Show freaks to sophisticated dancers gave a 100% and were competent singers and dancers. I particularly enjoyed the Fortune Teller. Also the Cameo of Todd Browning played by Steve Blackmore himself!

Thank you for an enjoyable evening and kind hospitality

Best wishes for future productions

Linda Evans