Ensemble Theatre opens season with 'Side Show'

Laurie Shaw, seated left, and Caitlin Overton play Siamese twins Daisy and Violet Hilton in "Side Show." Behind them is Jonathan Harris, who plays press agent and promoter Terry Connor. / Jonathan Harris photo
Laurie Shaw, seated left, and Caitlin Overton play Siamese twins Daisy and Violet Hilton in "Side Show." Behind them is Jonathan Harris, who plays press agent and promoter Terry Connor. / Jonathan Harris photo

If you go

› What: “Side Show”› Where: Barking Legs Theater, 1307 Dodds Ave.› When: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 8-9, 14-16; 2:30 p.m. Feb. 10› Admission: $20, $17 senior adults and students› For more information: 423-987-5141

photo Laurie Shaw, seated left, and Caitlin Overton play Siamese twins Daisy and Violet Hilton in "Side Show." Behind them is Jonathan Harris, who plays press agent and promoter Terry Connor. / Jonathan Harris photo

Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga kicks off its 2019 season this weekend with the musical "Side Show" by Bill Russell and Henry Krieger.

"Side Show" was a cult favorite, though short-lived, musical from Broadway's 1996 season, according to ETC director Garry Lee Posey. It follows the lives and loves of famous Siamese twins Daisy and Violet Hilton.

The Hilton twins, conjoined by a link of flesh near the hips, were staples of the side-show circuit in Europe, Australia and America from their childhood. Their talents propelled them from the side show into vaudeville and eventually into motion pictures. This musical takes a biographical perspective on the sisters' rise to fame.

"On the surface, this is a simple show about the complex lives of these two women. But there's a deeper message that is explored within the show that specifically appealed to me," says Posey.

"As a society, there is a tendency to marginalize and push people to the fringe for one reason or another. I think it's deeper than gender, race and sexual identity. It is almost as if everyone is a freak to someone, freakishly attractive or freakishly devout or freakishly loyal, and so on."

Posey adds he watched a documentary about the sisters, "Bound by Flesh," and at its end it described the last few years of Daisy's and Violet's lives. The tragic ending of their story, which isn't really touched upon in the musical, he found to be heartbreaking and inspiring.

"The last manager of the twins booked them on a gig in North Carolina, an appearance and autograph signing at a screening of their film 'Freaks.' He abandoned them, penniless. They managed to find a job at a local supermarket in North Carolina where they continued to be an attraction for the locals, sharing their stories while weighing produce. While both succumbed to a serious flu epidemic, Daisy died a couple of days before Violet. After not showing up to work, the police were summoned and discovered the twins dead," recalls Posey.

"Imagining those hours of sitting alone, not able to move, sick with the flu and mourning the death of your conjoined twin, had a powerful impact on me and gave new meaning to the show's final number," he says.

Senior Producer Casey Keelen says this will be the largest production ETC has attempted to date.

"With over 20 in the cast and an orchestra of 11, ETC is hoping to continue raising the bar for live theatrical experiences in the Chattanooga area. We have made a commitment to contributing and enhancing the cultural landscape in Chattanooga, and we want to continue making good on that commitment," says Keelen.

"Side Show" is rated PG-13. Musical direction is by Terry Sanford and choreography by Maggie Williams.

For more information: 423-987-5141.

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