Washington Post - Highly Recommended
"..."Side Show's" rendering of Violet and Daisy as in all ways recognizably "normal" should silence the issue of whether they're appealing heroines, in this, the boldest and most splendidly realized production by the Kennedy Center since the "Sondheim Celebration" in 2002. And the magnetic, graceful portrayals by Padgett, as fame-seeking Daisy, and Davie, as the comforts-of-home-craving Violet, should mute any reservations entirely. Singly and doubly, they'll melt your heart."
Baltimore Sun - Highly Recommended
"...The new "Side Show," directed with as much flair as nuance by Bill Condon (his film credits include writer/director of "Gods and Monsters" and "Dreamgirls"), is a sturdy attraction well worth stepping right up to."
Variety - Highly Recommended
"...Wearing their Broadway aspirations on their sleeves, the show's collaborators obviously hope the D.C. engagement of this LaJolla-KenCen co-production will point the way. Given the musical's dramatic improvements and the generally expanding audiences for tuners with unconventional themes, Broadway interest seems a sure bet."
MetroWeekly - Highly Recommended
"...The Hiltons' plight to find acceptance, love and happiness may not follow the typical Hollywood script - though, it should be said, this production moves and looks as flawless and flashy as anything else on Condon's Hollywood resume, from Chicago to The Twilight Saga. But anyone who gives it a chance - even, if you'll pardon the expression, a sideways glance - will be moved."
Washington City Paper - Highly Recommended
"...Crisply staged, cleanly replotted, and sung to the rafters by a cast seemingly on loan from the celestial choir, the overhauled Side Show onstage at the Kennedy Center is the revival this cult-favorite musical deserves-one that promises to get the show back to Broadway for another crack at full-on theater-classic status."
Washingtonian - Highly Recommended
"...Side Show is almost entirely sung through, and given the fact that ten numbers have been added to the original piece, the show can feel a little song-stuffed. But it's a minor complaint against this stellar production, which combines exceptional casting with an arresting set, accented by gorgeous, almost art-deco carnival-attraction posters, multi-level platforms, and rapid-fire costume changes. Even with all these enhancements, the success of Side Show rests on the shoulders of the twins at the center of it. Erin Davie (Violet) and Emily Padgett (Daisy) are more than up to the task-their chemistry seems effortless, and their voices soar through the complex harmonies of the score. The only irony of the casting is that the remarkable Davie, playing the more reserved Violet, arguably has even more stage presence than her vivacious counterpart."
DC Theater Arts - Highly Recommended
"...Come Look at the Freaks!" intones the carnival barker at the opening of the unique and musically eclectic and beloved cult musical Side Show and you cannot look away. Now playing at The Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater, this is a challenging and absorbing production performed to the hilt with Henry Krieger's surging music and Bill Russell's verbally arresting lyrics sung with supreme vocal purity by a very tightly -coordinated ensemble of actors. Under the Direction of Bill Condon, this current edition of Sideshow (which was developed in association with the La Jolla Playhouse) manages to merge glitz and realism to portray the famous Siamese Twins (conjoined at the hip), the Hilton Sister-Daisy (Emily Padgett) and Violet (Erin Davie)-in the most heartbreaking and poignantly real fashion I have yet to see."
BrightestYoungThings - Highly Recommended
"...Side Show possesses a bittersweet quality, from beginning to end, for the audience as well as the Hilton sisters. While it would be easy to say the production ends on a positive note, the heavier undertones of the production's message leave a weightier thought provoking impact for the astute viewer. The musical is dynamic, and as such, can be enjoyed with a levity and buoyancy that the bleaker history and context do not have to sully. The production and its cast should be given due credit for the headier material addressed within and their impeccable and visually arresting execution throughout."
The Georgetowner - Highly Recommended
"..."Who Will Love Me as I Am" is practically an anthem for the sisters and their friends on the midway, but separate from that, is also a grand musical expression of the hope we all carry around to our dying day. "You Should Be Loved" is sung by Jake, who accompanies the girls on their journey, and is a not-quite surprising declaration of love for Violet and Jake is a double-outsider, being an African American in Jim Crow America. Those songs are so affecting-with incisive, empathy-loaded lyrics by Bill Russell and music as an expression of the heart by composer Henry Krieger-that the audience all but levitates with feeling at their climax."
MD Theatre Guide - Recommended
"...Overall Side Show is worth seeing for a few reasons. The score is one of the best in musical theatre history and Padgett and Davie have a lot of spunk and lovely voices. Condon's approach might work for you but if Side Show lacks heart then it is no more than an oddity like the characters depicted within."
DCTheatreScene - Highly Recommended
Side Show lets its freak flag fly with a glorious production that combines astounding visual artistry, a ripping yarn and a tingly emotional score, stirringly sung by the company, which is as heart-stopping as a high-flying aerialist act.
