side show

Side Show: The Musical

There are many topics to discuss about the musical performance. It features a variety of aspects that captivate my attention from the wild behavior of the performers or the corresponding light show to deviate the audience’s attention.

Performers and Audience

The performers for the musical feature the twins, the Connor brothers, and Jake the wild cannibal. The supporting lineup is also very involved with the main cast as they play the attractions. The interaction between the performers between each scene is very noticeable and different as well. Paying attention actually helps as I could see some noticeable jokes being made visually and sometimes on cue to lyrics. I think what amused me during the first scene with this performer interaction was a girl with a doll. A guy keeps his hand over her eyes but as the dancers are moving around she is constantly staring at them, giving off a sense that she could potentially be identified in character as a lesbian. By personal judgment I could be wrong but it is a girl character in a dress that is sporting the behavior. There are also other radical displays of interaction either between performers or the performers to the audience. Mainly Jake when the ensemble behind the set cues up the jungle type theme. He wildly dashes and jumps around from the walkway leading to the stage, and I forgot to mention the attractions came from the walkways from both sides of the theater towards the stage, with the spotlight on him as he makes his way to the center while making loud noises. If that wasn’t shocking enough another performer to audience interaction is one of the attractions biting off the head of a toy chicken and trying to give the body to the audience within musical. Which brings up another interesting aspect of the musical and there is an audience within the musical outside of the audience in the seats watching the musical. They are more responsive and show more character to possibly just about everything that happens on stage whereas the other audience only noticeably laugh or give a shocked response to something major. For the record Daisy is on the left and Violett is on the right, since she is right most of the time anyways. I don’t know if this was due to a lack of props but in one of the scenes the performers gather together to form a human boat for the leading cast.

Music and Time/Space

The music is always playing, from start to the break and then from the break to the finish. The music sets the mood and helps guide the performers for their singing. One of the many examples of setting the mood is the jungle wild crazy theme song for Jake’s entrance. The music doesn’t do this alone as the lighting of the theater compliments the music almost every time. The whole room was dim while the drums were beating and search lights were rotating around the room before finally focusing on Jake as he makes his way to the center. Another way for the music to change the mood is the lead characters during the scene after the break when they think to themselves. The ensemble begins to play a nonpulsatile tone setting off this atmosphere allowing the character to be deep in thought. The lighting isn’t all just for show and effects but also directs the attention of the audience in the seats to the characters most involved with the scene. I believe the most creative use of the white lights were during the second half of the play where the twins’ spotlight was removed and in doing so they stopped their movements and appear frozen while the spotlight shifts over to the brothers and Jake as they sit and discuss dinner plans. Once the conversation was over the spotlight shifts again and the twins resume what they were originally doing.

Overall Sideshow the Musical gave off a performance that harnesses performer interactions with each other and the audience. The music wasn’t alone in creating atmosphere as the lighting system helps direct the audiences’ attention to what is important in the play as well.