Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Stage Review: 'Side Show' is freakishly fine
Post Gazette: "Or take the 1997 musical 'Side Show,' with book and lyrics by Bill Russell and music by Henry Krieger, which is now being given an elaborate staging at Carnegie Mellon. Here, as with 'The Elephant Man,' we are brought inside the world of the supposed freak to discover the human being. But even as we deplore the objectification and exploitation of abnormality, we still feel the fascination. So it is not surprising that these plays accuse our fascination of being freakish, evidence of the mix of normal and abnormal in us all."
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12 comments:
I can't tell it was more given to audience or not, because i haven't seen the broadway version. i thought it was pretty given to audience. however i also thought it was 'freakishly fine'.
From the first time I saw the ending of the show, I thought the show was a giant finger to the audience. I suppose that was the desired effect though.
-A Siebert
I haven't seen either of them yet, but I am seeing ours this Thursday. I am really interested now to see the show having read the review, and having heard feedback from people. I am eager to get the finger from the show, and then to reflect on the show and see how well they achieved their point. I am not sure who the Dramaturg was on this show, but I would also be interested to hear how much work they put into it, and then how much the Director and cast used that expert opinion.
I like Rawson's description of the closing beat in the performance - the discomfort of the audience for their cue to exit.I was there as he was leaving and he himself stood up only to stand next to me and wait a minute and leave the stage. I think it's too bad he didn't see the freaks actually start to break down and laugh and call out at the audience and stomp off stage. -- Maddie Regan (HM)
Interesting Joe. So how was your high school's production? Since you haven't seen the show yet, can you compare the set for us so we get an idea? Finally, did your school's production evoke a similar response from the audience at the end? I know that sometimes educational institutions can be the seed bed for new ideas, or can inhibit controversial ideas.
i appreciate the good reveiw, however, it seemed that our production was heavy handed. Often times the realizations are the more important ones and it is important that the audience come to their own conclusions.
-Harriet
I think Rawson's last comment about the overly-in-your- face nature of our production was right on--in turning the tables and hand feeding the audience the fact that we are all indeed freaks, our show missed the point and even did the audience a diservice. It was an easy, albeit interesting way of reiterating a point that should have been conveyed through the production, and not some gimmick at the end.
-Samantha Englender
I agree with Aaron, I saw the show last Friday and I also the audience's face turn from spectacled delight to concerned frowns. I liked the way it turned audience identification on its head.
I agree with Aaron, Sideshow definetly turns the lense back on the audience and I loved seeing the lookon people's faces when the figured THEY were being indicted.
-J Bogush
After seeing the show, I have to agree about the final moment.
It may be part of the script, but it detracted from the message of the show as a whole. You are pulled out of the rather emotional finale with the actors laughing at the "freaks" aka audience?
Could have been the directing, or the script, but the least effective moment none the less.
Rajendras production of Sideshow leaves the audiance feeling as though they have just been insulted, and while this is the desired affect, one must wonder if this production is going to effect the subscriber audiance in the future.
-Kim Allen-Poole
Have been marketing the show since before rehersal, and having had the opportunity to see it, and enage with teh audience, am proud to say I worked on it.
--Jeremy Tick
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