Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Staged: Cast members of 'Side Show,' which opens July 28 at the Montgomery Theater, have been rehearsing in a warehouse on Parkmoor Avenue.
'Side Show' is main attraction
San Jose Children's Musical Theater show opens on July 28 at Montgomery Theater
By Chantal Lamers
'Nobody comes on stage until the staircases come out," shouts Kevin Hauge. Hauge is the artistic director and choreographer for San Jose Children's Musical Theater's upcoming production of Side Show. "Hurry, hurry, hurry," Hauge says, clapping his hands. "Places, let's go, let's go."
It's just another typical evening rehearsal in a huge warehouse on Parkmoor Avenue in San Jose. In its 32nd season, the San Jose Children's Musical Theater is all grown up. The productions are professional, spine tingling and seem just a step down from Broadway.
Side Show, which closed on Broadway 18 months ago, is a musical based on the true story of Siamese twins Daisy and Violet Hilton and their journey from sideshow freaks to follies stars. The show premiers at the Montgomery Theater in downtown San Jose on July 28.
"We're very careful in the selection of our shows," Hauge says. "The whole message the show sends is there's a time when you feel like an outcast," he says. "Side Show celebrates being different. What better message could we send while we work with the kids?"
Cast members memorize scripts, learning choreography and music in seven weeks. They practice weekday evenings and Saturday afternoons. The shows are performed for two weeks. Hauge says participating in shows teaches children to count on each other and work toward a goal. "Seventy, 80, 90 people can feel like they've accomplished something together," Hauge says.
"The casts have really strong actors," Hauge says. "Both casts are amazing." This summer, 300 children and young adults auditioned for plays. Each show features two casts, each with 60 to 150 cast members. Willow Glenites Sarah Castor, Bobby Shelby, Molly Shelby and Chelsea Stock made Side Show's cast list this summer.
There are three age groups of actors at SJCMT. Junior Series productions features children ages 6 to 9 years old, and 10 to 14 years old. This summer's Mainstage Production, Side Show, features young adults ages 15 to 20.
Sara Stein plays Violet, one of the twins. Stein, 18, has been dancing and singing for the theater for six years. "I'm like my character," she says. "She's kind of quiet, soft-spoken, wants to get married and have children."
Stein, who just graduated from Lincoln High School and is preparing to move to a community college in Santa Monica, is thrilled to have her first lead role.
"The competition was just amazing," she says. "I was really happy to get this role."
Daisy, Violet's on-stage twin, is played by Katherine McGrath. McGrath, 20, started her career at the theater when she was 12 and captured the lead role in Annie.
"It was a big break for me," says McGrath, a communications and theater major at U.C.-San Diego who comes home each summer to perform at the theater.
As Violet, McGrath says she gets to play the role of a woman who is a blatant risk taker. Violet dreams of fame and wants to feel its glory--not very different from McGrath's own dreams.
McGrath will take her final bow at with the children's theater after Side Show. The long-time performer turns 21 in a few weeks, which makes her ineligible for the children's theater.
Side Show runs from July 28 to Aug. 6 at the Montgomery Theater at Market and San Carlos streets in downtown San Jose. Tickets are $15 for adults and $11 for children 12 and under. For information call the San Jose Children's Musical Theater box office at 408.288.5437 or visit www.sjcmt.com.
Willow Glen, California Since 1992
