TheatreAddict.com - Bakersfield Drama Blog

This Saturday I had the pleasure of experiencing Side Show at the Empty Space. This haunting musical explores the dark side of human nature against the backdrop of a family of circus freaks.
Jennifer Wells & Amy Hall are Daisy and Violet Hilton, a pair of charming sisters chasing their dreams in depression-era America. They share everything (emotions, birthdays, etc) but are by their own claim "nothing alike." Their bodies just happen to be connected at waist. This complicates their lives, as you might expect, especially when they find themselves stuck as a living attraction at a rural side-show.

Although they seem to have found a sort of family living with the "freaks," the girls have no chance of living a normal life or experiencing anything of the outside world. The opportunity to escape seems like a blessing when the twins trade the life of a side show freak for a life in the spotlight as a cutesy vaudeville novelty act. The dream of fame and fortune quickly turns into a nightmare, though - they're still treated like freaks. A normal life filled with love and "what everyone wants" seems sadly out of reach. For anyone who has ever felt like a freak, the plight of Daisy & Violet is an all too relatable tragedy.

Side Show, although quite dark and tragic, is extremely colorful and moving. The audience follows the twins story through musical moments that are magical, captivating, funny, and dark. The cast is alive with passion, the story is told with lots of finesse and energy, and the entire experience is invogorating & quite beautiful to behold. The show is - by my account - a sheer spectacle that you will enjoy from beginning to end.

I had the opportunity to sit down with the cast after their exhausting opening weekend and found the family of actors behind the show to be just as captivating as the group of "freaks" they portrayed. This weekend was a perfect example of why I started theatreaddict.com. I saw an amazing show and now I have the chance to share my experience with Bakersfield, in the hopes that Bakersfield will see the show and support the incredible projects that are being taken on by local theatre groups.

Check out all the pictures from the show in the theatreaddict.com gallery.

Listen to Episode 4 of the theatreaddict.com podcast. I'll take you backstage at the Empty Space for exclusive interviews with A.S. Ashley (creator of "The Freak Show"), comments from audience members at intermission, and a really fun/interesting interview with the fantastic cast of Side Show. The cast answers such probing questions as "what is a freak?" and talks about the link between being a close-knit group of misfit circus freaks and being a cast of supportive, misfit theatre geeks.