Side Show is a musical by Bill Russell (book and lyrics) and Henry Krieger (music) based on the lives of Daisy and Violet Hilton, a circus act of conjoined twins who became famous stage performers in the 1930s. The show starred Alice Ripley as Violet and Emily Skinner as Daisy. It opened on Broadway on October 16, 1997, and ran for 91 performances at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Despite receiving some positive reviews, the show closed on January 4, 1998. It was later nominated for four Tony Awards in 1998.
Although Side Show won none of these awards, it was the first and only time that two actresses were co-nominated for Best Actress in a Musical as a team (if they had won, they would have won together). At the Tony Awards ceremony, the two stars performed the show's most popular number, "I Will Never Leave You". Alice Ripley and Emily Skinner later released two albums of duets (Duets and Unsuspecting Hearts), as well as a live recording of their 2006 reunion concert ("Skinner/Ripley: Raw at Town Hall").
Other members of the cast who have gone on to successful endeavors on Broadway include Jeff McCarthy (Urinetown), Hugh Panaro (The Phantom of Opera, Lestat), Norm Lewis (The Wild Party, Dessa Rose, Les Misérables, The Little Mermaid) and J. Robert Spencer (Jersey Boys, Next to Normal).
The show has had several successful regional productions throughout the country, and has attained a loyal "cult" following. One notable regional premiere was the 1999 Denver production by the Physically Handicapped Actors & Musical Artists League. While many were initially uncomfortable with the idea of disabled actors portraying "freaks", the production was ultimately well received and was presented with several awards, including the Denver Mayor's Award for Excellence in the Arts.
An abridged version of Side Show was presented at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC October 2–5, 2008 as part of their Broadway: Three Generations production. Jenn Colella and Lisa Brescia played Daisy and Violet, respectively, Bobby Steggert played Buddy, and Max von Essen played Terry.
Read more about Side Show: Original Broadway Cast, First Post-Broadway Regional Production, Songs, Awards and Nominations
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