 | | The play is based on a true story |
Daisy and Violet Hilton were conjoined twins, born in Brighton in 1908, who became a hit at freak shows across America. A play based on their lives, Side Show created a buzz on Broadway in 1997 when it earned mostly positive critical recognition and devoted fans, but still closed after only four months. However, it didn’t go without a fight and fans of the show staged a rally on Broadway to try to get the producers to resurrect the show, but to no avail. The show became a cult hit with universities, non professional companies and regional theatres across the USA, all producing their versions of the show. Now Bristol stage company Theatreworx, a big success with their show The Christmas Schooner at the city's QEH Theatre in 2003/4, present the UK premiere of the musical. "It's a heart-warming story of two sisters searching for love and fame," explained the company's Steve Blackmore. "The musical touches on the universal need for acceptance and the strength of the human spirit. At Theatreworx we feel honoured and privileged to produce the first showing outside America of Side Show and we hope we can give it the justice it deserves." True lives Daisy and Violet Hilton were born in Brighton to a young, unwed barmaid, Kate Skinner and were "adopted" by their mother's boss and midwife, Mary Hilton. The sisters were conjoined at the hips and buttocks. They shared blood circulation and were fused at the pelvis but shared no major organs. Soon after acquiring the twins, Mary Hilton was exhibiting them all over the United States and Europe. They were required to call her "Auntie Lou" and her current husband "Sir". When Mary died, her husband and daughter took over the sisters' act. It was not until 1931, when the sisters filed a lawsuit against their management, that they were awarded independence. They left the sideshow circuit, which they hated, and joined Vaudeville. In 1932 the twins appeared as themselves in the movie Freaks, which dared to pose the question of whether or not conjoined twins can have a love life. In the case of the Hilton sisters, the answer was yes - they were notorious for their many affairs and allegedly had a strong desire to outdo one another in the area of dating. Each of the sisters was married separately, although they bore no children and each marriage lasted only a short time. After the public lost interest in Siamese twins, the sisters settled in Miami and ran a hamburger stand called the Hilton Sisters' Snack Bar. When the business failed, they turned to Hollywood. And in 1950 the sisters appeared in the film Chained for Life. But their story did not end happily, penniless they were finally forced to take a job at a grocery store, with one working the register and the other bagging groceries. On January 6, 1969, the twins failed to report for work and were later found dead in their home, from the Hong Kong flu. Theatreworx and a cast of 26, bring Side Show to the QEH Theatre from 5th - 9th April 2005. | 
