Side Show: The Musical

On Thursday night April 15, I gathered a couple of friends of mine to attend a musical called Side Show. During the performance, I saw many key aspects which really stood out to me. These key aspects shaped my experience of the musical.

Music

Side Show featured lots of "Broadway"-style music. There were some nice bouncy songs where all the cast danced to and others that were more passionate. Music was very prevalent throughout the whole show. With few dialogue taking place between the characters, almost everything was conveyed through singing or dancing. The music had a live pit orchestra to play for the singers. The orchestra was hidden for the most part in the back of the scenery but that did the volume or quality of their performance. The musical numbers had a lot of solo acts for Daisy and Violet, the protagonist of the story. Through these musical numbers the audience gets a glimpse in to what the twins are thinking and how they felt.

Performers

The performers were once again composed of UTD art students. The students wore clothes apporiate for their character. The twins, Daisy and Violet, had on blonde wigs and flowing skirts to set them apart from the other characters. Jake the Cannibal King wore a loincloth for a short period of time in the beginning but changed in to business attires once the twins and him were accepted to go on the musical tour.Buddy and Terry had on slick savy clothing throughout most of the musical.

The light show help to provide the performers with the necessary time to transition from one scene to another. The performers seamlessly shifted from one scene to another. Many people in the audience were amazed at how smooth the musical progressed throughout the night. The dance numbers accompanied the transition from one scene to another well, too.

Audience

The audience was composed of mostly UTD students and some senior citizens who lived around the area. The Performance Hall was packed with spectators. Everybody was rubbing shoulders with their neighbors but no one seemed to mind. It was apparent that some members of the audience had not been to many musicals before when they clapped in the middle of a solo because there was a long pause. Once some of the audience clapped, everybody clapped, too, as to not make the performance awkward.

When it was time for the intermission, many people had decided to leave. However, once they got outside, their hopes of escape were dashed away when they saw that it was raining hard outside. Some people braved the storm and left the musical while others not so strong-willed decided to stick around until the storm died down. When the intermission was over, most of the people who attended the first half came back for the second and even some new members showed up.

Time and Space

The musical took place on Thursday night at about 8 p.m. Despite the musical being on a weekday, a lot of people turned out for the musical. The night-time suited the musical well. If the musical had taken place at any other time in the day, then it would not have had the same effect on the audience. By that time of the night, almost everybody in the audience was just looking for a good time. They just wanted to unwind and relax for the evening. Everybody in the audience was having a good time and they did not feel shy to let the performers know it.

The performance proved to be a rich musical event filled with lots of song and dance. It was an event that both the performers and audience enjoyed.