Sibling love in Side Show

MANILA, Philippines — We eat with a fork, sleep in a bed, walk with our feet on the floor… We swim, play golf, cook and sew. We even play a mean game of tennis… like your typical girls next door.

Typical Girls Next Door is one of the songs Daisy and Violet Hilton sing in Atlantis Theatricals Entertainment Group (ATEG) musical, Side Show. The lyrics best describe the girls.

You’d really think they’re normal, but they’re, in fact, special. Daisy and Violet are “not Siamese,” but real-life conjoined twins. Their mother screamed when they were born, yet, ever since, they refused to be separated.

Side Show is “a real picnic,” attested Daisy and Violet at the start of the musical. The girls get subjected to all sorts of ridicule and mockery. Yet, from being branded as “freaks” in a side show loaded with odd performers, they graduated to becoming vaudeville acts in Chicago.

The strength of the poignant material is the love for each other of the conjoined siblings. They refused to be surgically detached since it can be fatal to one or both of them. They constantly remain protective of each other.

They go to the extent of real sacrifice. When one falls in love and agrees to tie the knot, the other one unselfishly agrees to support her twin. Yet, the former finds out the real personality of her lover with their wedding turning into a sham. The strong emotional impact of this gripping reality is heartbreaking.

Director Steven Conde skillfully works the stage blocking of the conjoined sisters, from their every entry and exit point to their dance sequences to their duets. The songs — I Will Never Leave You and Who Will Love Me As I Am — appear to be the girls’ paeans to one another.

Atlantis producing director, Bobby Garcia, pointed out a few hours before the premiere last Aug. 31, the theater company gives a chance to other directors to work at the helm of their other productions.

The simple carnival setting of Side Show can be easily overlooked by the colorful and vibrant costumes of the freaks, who turned the stage into a real spectacle. Credit costume designer Odelon Simpao for the impressive ‘20s outfits he masterfully created for the entire cast, including a three-legged man and a half-man, half-woman character.

The female leads, Daisy and Violet, played by Gab Pangilinan and Kayla Rivera, respectively, donned many, attractive colors onstage, from bright blue to yellow gold; from emerald green to bridal white.

Side Show’s male talents are apparently the more experienced performers. They’ve done one successful production after another, so owning the stage when they perform is not a tough act for them — at least from what the audience sees in Side Show.

Markki Stroem as Terry, David Ezra as Buddy and Arman Ferrer as Jake were given their time to shine with their respective solo numbers, so they did not disappoint. Wency Cornejo, in only his theater debut as Sir, was convincing and impressive as someone you will surely loathe.

Side Show debuted in Broadway in 1997 and was revived in 2014 with a powerful melodic score, a few songs removed and new songs added. The 2014 Broadway revival is what is now being presented by Atlantis at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium at the RCBC Plaza in Makati (until Sept. 23).

The celebrity-studded premiere saw Miss Saigon stars Lea Salonga and Leo Valdez, with Cherie Gil, Sen. Kiko Pangilinan with his daughters in support of niece Gab (Side Show’s Daisy), TV executives Tony Tuviera, Bobby Barreiro and Atlantis director Bobby.

Franco Laurel, Bituin Escalante, Kiana Valenciano, Dulce to cheer on her son, David Ezra, Nino Alejandro, Viktoria and Pinky Amador were also in the audience.