Sideshow, A Musical

I will start with the obligatory disclaimer: on paper, I could not appear more biased. I am friendly with the director, at least two-thirds of the cast, backstage crew, MD, etc etc. One of the leads even happens to be my housemate. That out of the way, I will insist that what I’m about to state is based upon the calibre of the show, rather than my apparent bias. All the elements are there: passionate director dedicated to fulfilling a vision, phenomenal MD, talented cast, interesting story, catchy songs. These factors in isolation however, do not necessarily a show make. The interaction and complementation of factors is the crucial point – a point which I believe Sideshow has succeeded in making. This is a very well put-together show. The cast is strong, very strong. MD Matt Austin is known for coaxing remarkable sounds from his ensemble. Sideshow is no exception! The Scottish lass with me (who is heavily involved with the amateur theatre scene back in Dundee) said she’s never heard such a strong chorus outside of the professional stage. I do not intend to make this review novel-length, so I will try to keep my commentary on the leads minimal. Breeahn Jones and Claire Taylor shine as the Siamese twin headline act of Sideshow. Jones as the ambitious prim donna Daisy Hilton with a heart of glass and Taylor as the milder, gentler and less risk-inclined Violet. Their comic timing is flawless and characterisation well-realised. Your compassion for the twins (even in their odd moments of weakness and self-absorption) is unwavering. The lady’s respective voices are exceptional, and furthermore seem to match perfectly with their characters – Jones with her big brassy belt and Taylor with her lovely lilting head voice. Chris Gerrish commands as Daisy’s conflicted heartthrob. Both his presence and voice are particularly captivating. Owen Measday serves as great comic relief as Buddy, with the odd tender moment well-played. He is in equal parts goofy and sympathetic (it’s only a shame that the character doesn’t much call for the fantastic belt I know he has ;) ) Your heart truly goes out to Jake (a very sincere David Bowyer) as the lad behind-the-scenes of the sister’s act who has carried a long-time torch for Violet. His ‘The Devil You Know’ bluesy number is a definite highlight – with more than a little help from that fierce ensemble! (Side note: in this same number, listen out for Cicely Binford’s big solo as the fortune teller. That belt! Phwoar.) Special note must also be made of David Wallace as the drunkard ringmaster, there to welcome you to the sideshow with a sleight of the hand and a cock of his brow. His strong voice and even stronger presence paint the picture of a mean-spirited man, disillusioned with the world and defensively harbouring questionable morals. And yet – has the ‘entertaining and watchable’ factor in spades! I was actually quite disappointed that this character essentially disappeared for a good deal of the show. The choreography (Tammie Rafferty) was fluid, inspired and fitted in perfectly with everything else – highlighting, complimenting but never distracting from the central action. Costumes were – there’s no other word for it – wicked. My hat I whole-heartedly fling at the feet of Terrence McAuley, fantastic! Quite the task to outfit this sort of show, and it was pulled off with the utmost pizzazz. Hackett Hall unfortunately suffers from acoustic/technical issues – and whilst these did somewhat hinder the show in places, painstaking effort has gone into working around the limitations of the space. The set is simple yet effective, with the occasional eye-catching mural – the creative team has instead opted for simplicity, to keep the pace of the show without clunky scene-changes, and it works. Tyler Jones's direction is seamless. The sign of good direction is not inciting your audience to think 'why - wasn't that a clever directing choice!' - but rather the absorption of the audience in the scene enough to exclude any such thoughts. The critical voice being shushed up to enable total engagement with the scenes. Only later stopping to consider how good the director who makes his work seem invisible actually is. I have written far more than I initially intended, therefore I will cut this abruptly short by ending on – go see it! This is amateur theatre at it’s finest and there are only three more opportunities. I may be biased – but the show is still good. Very good, even. Oh, plus – there’s free popcorn :)