Side Show: The Musical!

Introduction
The performance I attended was the UTD production of "Side Show" the musical at the University Theatre on April 16, 2010. It was a performance of a Broadway musical, where music is used to tell a dramatic or comedic story. This story was of two Siamese twins sold to a freak show who later made their fortune in the Vaudeville stages of the 1930s (Program Notes).

Music
The music consisted of two elements: vocal and band backup. The vocals tended to feature a lot of vibrato from the performers, and they usually sung very loud to project out to the whole theater. Responsorial forms were very common, as the singing was the primary way of advancing the story and presenting dialogue. The band played solely as a backing instrument, accentuating and supporting the moods and motifs set by the singers (Side Show).

Performers
The performers were all either vocalists or band members. The band players were not seen much; as in most Broadway music they stayed out of sight and played a strictly supportive and mostly invisible role. The vocalists were much more prominent, as they were also actually actors in full costume. They had dialogue, some spoken but mostly sung, and definite roles they were to play. Something noteworthy was that all of the performers continued to play their part even when they were far out of the spotlight, keeping the performance dynamic. The performers also had to be very versatile and composed; they often had less than 30 seconds for wardrobe or scene changes. Finally performers were required to have many talents; they had to act, sing, dance, and even be acrobatic; all performers had to be capable of doing many things to make this show work (Side Show).

Audience
The audience was composed of two dichotomous groups: those (students) required to attend the show and others who were either friends or family of performers. The first group tended to be less engaged and in many cases left at intermission, while the second group seemed more excited since they had a stake in the play. However there were definitely some actions such as the 'Jungle King' going into the crowd that elicited strong positive reactions from nearly everyone in attendance. Also, it seemed that even the skeptics seemed to warm to the performers and enjoy the show more as it went along; the amount and volume of applause steadily increased throughout the show. Finally, I found it interesting that the theatre was almost entirely full; based on previous experience with student productions this was a far fuller house than I had previously experienced (Side Show).

Time/Space
A unique way this performance used time and space was that the show was not limited simply to the stage. Performers actually went out into the audience during some numbers, making the audience feel not as if they were just watching a musical but were actually in the story themselves. Use of light was also crucial to this performance. Spotlights were used to signify which performers were featured in given scenes, but lights were also used for effect. For example, "The Boss" was spotlighted not in a traditional fashion, but by a light from below that never allowed you to fully see his face, cloaking him in an air of mystery. Finally, while the scenery changed each time the setting changed, there was also a less subtle reminder of a new scene: a small omnipresent sign in the front right corner of the stage served to remind everyone where the show was at any point in time (Side Show).

Conclusion
The most unique elements of this performance were the way it incorporated the audience into the show by expanding the realm of the performers beyond just the stage, and the use of music not just as support for the story but as the primary vehicle by which the story was told. It appeared to be a performance especially enjoyed by the performers, and by many audience members as well (Side Show).

Works Cited

Side Show. Book By Bill Russell, Music by Henry Krieger. Dir. Kathryn Evans. University Theatre, Richardson, TX. 16 Apr. 2010.
Program notes. Side Show. 16 Apr. 2010. Richardson TX: University Theatre.