The first show of the Wanda L. Bass School of Music season will open this weekend.
Side Show will be performed at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday in Kirkpatrick Auditorium in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center.
The musical is about the real-life story of the Hilton sisters, conjoined twins in the 1930s. The twins, “Daisy and Violet,” worked in a circus sideshow and were discovered by a talent scout, “Terry Connor” and a budding musician, “Buddy Foster.” Terry and Buddy wanted to help them advance their careers.
“It’s about the twins’ lives as they start off as a sideshow attraction, then, through their own strength of character, move on to careers in Vaudeville, then in cinema,” said Dr. Matthew Mailman, professor of conducting.
Choosing Side Show was not an easy process, said Dr. David Herendeen, professor of music and director of opera and music theater.
“Picking the shows takes so much time,” Herendeen said. “We picked it by the style of show, building audition experience and also that it will entertain the public.”
Herendeen and Mailman heard more than 300 auditions and cast 31 students.
Ian Marcontell, music theater senior, plays “Terry.”
“It’s going to be different from what OCU usually does, because we are portraying a sideshow, so there are a lot of interesting characters,” Marcontell said.
“There is a woman who has no arms and a man who sticks needles in himself. They’re considered freaks and are characters that aren’t played in usual theater. In that way, it is very different.”
The audience should learn valuable lessons from the show, Herendeen said.
“This show is a teaching tool that entertains and educates the audience,” he said. “It’s a message of accepting what you are, accepting what others are and not being afraid of what is different.”
Students may call the ticket office at 405-208-5227 to purchase tickets. Students also can show their student ID at the ticket office to get a 50 percent discount.
“The talent level of the students in the cast cannot be overstated,” Mailman said. “Very few schools in the country could put a production like this together in such a short time.”
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