This week we’re flying back to the musical theatre circus of the 1990s to showcase some sisterly love. This week’s Tony Tuesday is:

“I Will Never Leave You” from Side Show at the 1998 TONY Awards ceremony.

Side Show is a 1997 musical that chronicles the rise to stardom of real-life conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton in the 1930s stage circuit. The production had music by Henry Krieger and a book and lyrics by Bill Russell. 

The show skipped an out-of-town try-out and opened on Broadway on 16 October 1997. The production was directed and choreographed by Robert Longbottom, with scenic design by Robin Wagner, costumes by Gregg Barnes and lighting by Brain MacDevitt. The opening night cast included Emily Skinner and Alice Ripley as Daisy and Violet Hilton respectively, Norm Lewis as Jake, Jeff McCarthy as Terry and Hugh Panaro as Buddy. The show opened to positive reviews, however, the box office advance did not support this, and the show came to close early on 3 January 1998. The production itself still managed to garner four TONY nominations including the first and only time a pair of female-identifying actors have been co-nominated for “Best Actress in a Musical”. 

The production has enjoyed many regional productions in the United States and in 2008, an abridged version was presented at The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. as part of their “Broadway: Three Generations” production. The cast included Jenn Colella and Lisa Brescia as Daisy and Violet respectively, Bobby Steggert played Buddy and Max von Essen played Terry.

In 2013, the show was revised and revived, opening at the La Jolla Playhouse. The show had omitted songs and added new ones and going for a darker approach in tone and added extra biographical material from the twins’ lives, as well as historical figures from the time period. The same production next played the Kennedy Center for June and July of 2014. The production was directed by Bill Condon, with choreography by Anthony Van Laast, scenic design by David Rockwell, costumes by Paul Tazewell, lighting by Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer and sound by Kai Harada. Emily Padgett and Erin Davie starred as Daisy and Violet respectively, with Matthew Hydzik as Buddy, Ryan Silverman as Terry and David St. Louis as Jake. The revival transferred to Broadway in the fall of 2014, opening at the St James Theatre on 28 October 2014. Despite opening to very positive notices on 17 November, again the show didn’t catch with audiences and it closed after only 7 weeks on 4 January 2015. 

Side Show made its UK professional premiere at the Southwark Playhouse in 2016. It played from October – December with strong reviews. Louise Dearman and Laura Pitt-Pulford played Daisy and Violet respectively, Haydn Oakley played Terry, Jay Marsh played Jake and Dominic Hodson played Buddy. The production was directed by Hannah Chissick.

Besties, Side Show is such a gorgeous show that never gets the stage time or run time it deserves. Give it a listen, you won’t be disappointed. 

Cast recordings available on streaming services. 

FACTS:

Music: Henry Krieger
Lyrics: Bill Russell
Book: Bill Russell
Theatre: The Richard Rodgers Theatre
Run: 16 October 1997 – 3 January 1998 (31 previews, 91 performances) 

TONYS:

(NOMINATED) Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical – Bill Russell, Best Original Score – Henry Krieger and Bill Russell, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical – Alice Ripley and Emily Skinner.