Side Show

It’s a great show that has been poorly marketed.

I enjoyed this show more than words can say, I am sad to see it end and hoping that it will return, seems like it should be a staple on Broadway. Extremely moving, the music was amazing and the performances phenomenal.

A wonderfully fun and underrated show. I rushed to see it once I found out that the show was closing on January 4^th and I was not disappointed. The girls who play the conjoined twins are stellar — they are great singers and harmonize really well with each other. I was hoping for more circus tricks in the show, but they stayed true to the name — the show is all about the side show. I can understand that this show probably appeals less than most shows as it doesn’t have the same amount of glitz and spectacle as many other shows do.

Amazing show! Really enjoyed it. Fast paced, funny, emotional, great performances by the lead twins. I was entertained every minute of it. Would recommend it to anyone!

While it is certainly not without its flaws, I had a great time watching Side Show last night. The music is powerful, and the main cast is quite good, especially the twins and the guy who played Jake. Unfortunately I do not think it was good enough to be the hit I wish it could be, but for a pleasant evening out to the theatre, you can’t go too wrong with this.

There are much better shows to see on Broadway. I found myself dosing off during the first half. Second half was better. Would not recommend it. Good, but not memorable. The two leads were great.

The two leads did a phenomenal job (they earned their standing ovation) and the four main players had amazingly strong voices but it was not enough to save the production as a whole. Overall, the plot was familiar and (save for the songs the twins sing to each other) the numbers came off as trite as a result.
The first act was full of exposition and somehow the two leads got lost in the mix. Unfortunately, within the first five minutes of the show, I thought the production had co-​opted the plot of this season of American Horror Story or HBO’s Carnivale and I quickly had to shake that notion as side shows have existed for centuries.
The most redeeming quality of the first act was the amount of detail paid to the depression era and the end of the roaring 20s, because it lays the foundation for the ending. The best part of the first act was the end where the leads breakaway from their harsh task master. Before that it was just a generic sob story associated with being «different.»
I think the second act was far superior because it focused more on the two women and the emotional hell that being attached at the hip forever can inflict. Since the female leads were the strongest part of the musical, the second act shined and better addressed the loneliness and fears of being marginalized that was an overall theme in this play.
I appreciated the ending because no one got exactly what they wanted and they either had to f**k off or make the best of it. That being said, only see this if you can get a massive discount like I did (TDF, Theatermania, Broadway Box, its slightly cheaper now during previews) or you are deeply in love with the Great Depression, the 1920s or synchronized dancing by two women joined at the hip (their synchronized dancing was impressive).