Based on the true story of Siamese twins Violet and Daisy Hilton who became stars during the Depression,
Side Show
is a moving portrait of two women joined at the hip whose extraordinary bondage brings them fame but denies them love. Told almost entirely in song, the show follows their progression from England to America, around the vaudeville circuit, and to Hollywood on the eve of their appearance in the 1932 movie
Freaks
.
With a completely reworked plot and new songs like "Very Well Connected," "All in the Mind," and "The Great Wedding Show," the 2014 revival delves deeper into the backstory of the Hilton twins. With the implementation of the twins' relationship with Harry Houdini and of a proposed separation surgery, the new book fleshes out characters and situations that endow the songs with more sophistication and truth.