Musical Production Mirrors Exotic True Life of Twins

Side Show parades onto the Theatre Memphis Lohrey Stage March 10, 2017, and struts its human cavalcade through April 2, 2017. This musical is based on a true story, which is a spectacle in and of itself, focusing on the lives of conjoined twin women, Violet and Daisy Hilton, who became famous stage performers in the 1930's. Conflict eventually separates the two emotionally as one wants a husband and home and the other wants fame and fortune. Only heartbreak brings them back together as they move forward with their careers and lives.

Filled with characters known to be associated with the travelling carnival shows of past eras, the stranger the oddity in the script the more normal to the story. Reaching into the lives of the likes of a Lizard Man, the Bearded Lady, a Tattoo Girl or the Human Pin Cushion, the comradery and the chaos is central to the plot. The Hilton sisters have suitors who complicate their lives and who figuratively pull them from one another as they learn to cope with their differences.

Casting this show was the immediate challenge to director Ann Marie Hall. "We started the audition process quite early for the two female leads who play conjoined twins," Hall says. Not only did they have to be of similar size and build, but also they had to be excellent singers, dancers and actors. It was important that they also "get along with each other". While the characters quite literally are attached at the hip, Hall adds, "I wanted to give them time to grow on each other emotionally...."

Theatre Memphis Executive Producer Debbie Litch says a musical like this can be quite a surprise to the public. "Telling someone about this show could raise an eyebrow or two, but when you hear the music of this show and get to the heart of the story like Ann Marie can, it is double the pleasure. I know our patrons will love this cast full of outcasts."

Theatre Memphis on the Lohrey Stage, 630 Perkins Ext, Memphis, TN, 38117

March 10 - April 2, 2017

Thursdays @ 7:30pm, Fridays and Saturdays @ 8pm with matinees @ 2pm on Sundays

Tickets: $30 adults, $15 students, $25 seniors 62 and above and military personnel. Call 901.682.8323 or visit www.theatrememphis.org for more information.

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