Side Show
tells the story of
Daisy
and
Violet Hilton
, a pair of Siamese twins who rose from carnivals to cult stardom in
vaudeville
and in
Tod Browning
's film,
Freaks
. The score to the show was composed by
Henry Krieger
, who is able to make the bizarre subject matter accessible with his music, which is alternately soaring, urgent, and chillingly evocative. Furthermore, the lyrics by
Bill Russell
are particularly direct and effective, making
-- considering its subject matter -- a surprisingly effective
musical
. ~ Rodney Batdorf