Bill Russell Will Explore Creation of Side Show at Birdland With Guests Erin Davie, Charity Angél Dawson, More

Bill Russell, who received 1998 Tony nominations for his book and lyrics of Side Show, will explore the creation of that musical September 25 at 7 PM at Birdland.

The evening, entitled My Side of the Show, will also feature Erin Davie, Charity Angél Dawson, Jenna Pastuszek, and Jason Veasey; all four actors have been seen in productions of Side Show. Greg Jarrett will be the musical director with Larry Lelli on drums and George Farmer on bass.

Russell will discuss how a musical about Daisy and Violet Hilton, conjoined twins who were the highest paid entertainers in the history of vaudeville, got to Broadway in 1997.

Side Show has a score by Tony nominee Henry Krieger and a book and lyrics by Tony nominee Russell. The original Broadway production of Side Show opened October 16, 1997, and was directed by Robert Longbottom. The production starred Alice Ripley, Emily Skinner, Ken Jennings, Norm Lewis, Jeff McCarthy, and Hugh Panaro. It ran for 91 performances and received four Tony nominations, including a shared nomination for co-stars Ripley and Skinner.