Goodbye to the Freak Show: Broadway's Side Show to Close

The new Broadway revival of Side Show will play its final performance at the St. James Theatre on January 4. The musical, written by Henry Krieger and Bill Russell and directed by Bill Condon, began performances October 28 and opened November 17 after runs at The Kennedy Center and the La Jolla Playhouse.

Leading the cast are Emily Padgett and Erin Davie as Daisy and Violet Hilton, alongside Matthew Hydzik as Buddy Foster, Robert Joy as Sir, Ryan Silverman as Terry Connor, and David St. Louis as Jake. The ensemble of side show characters includes Brandon Bieber as the 3-Legged Man, Matthew Patrick Davis as the Geek, Charity Angel Dawson as the Fortune Teller, Lauren Elder as the Venus di Milo, Javier Ignacio as the Dog Boy, Jordanna James as the World’s Tiniest Woman, Kelvin Moon Loh as the Half-Man Half-Woman, Barrett Martin as the Human Pin Cushion, Don Richard as the Reptile Man, Blair Ross as the Bearded Lady, Hannah Shankman as the Tattoo Girl, Josh Walker as the World’s Tiniest Man, with Con O’Shea-Creal, Derek Hanson, and DeLaney Westfall.

Condon's production features choreography by Anthony Van Laast, musical direction by Sam Davis, scenic design by David Rockwell, costume design by Paul Tazewell, lighting design by Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, sound design by Peter Hylenski, hair and wig design by Charles LaPointe, makeup design by Cookie Jordan, illusions by Paul Kieve, special makeup effects by Dave Elsy and Lou Elsy, and orchestrations by Harold Wheeler.

Side Show explores the lives of Daisy and Violet Hilton, a pair of conjoined twins who toured the vaudeville circuit and whose bond was able to bring them fame, but not love. The original production, which starred Alice Ripley and Emily Skinner, opened at Broadway's Richard Rodgers Theatre in 1997 and played 31 previews and 91 performances. It received five Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Book of a Musical.

The new musical Something Rotten is widely expected to replace Side Show in the St. James Theatre. Something Rotten features a score by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick and a book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell. Set in Renaissance England, the story follows two brothers, Nick and Nigel Bottom, who are desperate to write a hit play but find themselves in competition with the biggest star of the era, William Shakespeare. A recent reading of the musical starred Tony winner Christian Borle, John Cariani, Allen Fitzpatrick, Brian d'Arcy James, Tony winner Beth Leavel, Brad Oscar, Kate Reinders, Jeff Steitzer, and Gerry Vichi.

For tickets to Side Show, click here.