Sandbox to spotlight the marginalized in ‘Side Show’

“I don’t want to say it’s immersive, but it’s very experiential. It’s almost like you’re there with them.” This is how Toff de Venecia teased the media on 25 June at Privato Hotel, Quezon City, about Sandbox Collective’s upcoming production, Side Show: The Musical, which he is directing and which opens on 26 July.

This marks the first time the country will be treated to a revival of the original 1997 two-act Broadway musical. In 2018, Atlantis’ Manila staging of Side Show — led by Gab Pangilinan and Kayla Rivera and directed by Steven Conde — featured not the original, but the revised book version from the 2014 Broadway revival.

“So we kind of lead through the text of the 1997 version and explore how that might be expanded with our own creativity, artistry, and input from everybody,” De Venecia, shared.

With book and lyrics by Bill Russell and music by Henry Krieger, Side Show is based on the true story of conjoined twins Violet and Daisy Hilton, who rose from the exploitative world of 1920s American sideshows to vaudeville stardom. It is set in the era of traveling carnivals, freak shows, and vaudeville theaters.

“How can Filipinos be able to relate to this? Because, you know, it’s set in the 1920s to 1930s America — Great Depression, right?” he replied at the media conference when he was asked by DAILY TRIBUNE how he would honor the 1997 Broadway original that he personally loved while bringing something new and relatable to Filipinos.

“It’s new in terms of how it’s staged. Audiences will be on both sides. The staging is also very contemporary. And I don’t want to intimidate you with terms like ‘Brechtian,’ but there’s that,” he chuckled.

Brechtian is a theatrical style developed by Bertolt Brecht, a German playwright and director, whose goal was to create theater that provokes critical thinking rather than emotional immersion. This contrasts with the 1997 original Broadway production, which leaned into emotional realism.

With the challenge of making the material resonate with Filipino audiences, and bringing a “new spirit” to the musical, De Venecia further explained: “I think that’s where the politics comes in, the marginalized, the underserved come in. We’re using this show to platform awareness about all these underserved communities. So I think that’s a way to make it feel new — the politics, and how relatable that politics is, and how much we need it now.”

At the 52nd annual Antoinette Perry or Tony Awards in 1998, the original Broadway production of Side Show received four nominations, including Best Musical. The show closed on Broadway in January 1998 after 91 performances. But it developed a cult following, leading to a Broadway revival that opened in November 2014 and closed after 56 performances.

The 2014 revival brought renewed attention to the work among musical theatre fans. Popular songs include the duets “Who Will Love Me As I Am?,” “I Will Never Leave You,” and the opening ensemble number “Come Look at the Freaks.” Musical director for The Sandbox Collective is Ejay Yatco, who shared with DAILY TRIBUNE that the only challenge he faced was the transitions “rather than the main songs,” as these transitions “had no melody.”

The Sandbox Collective’s 2025 staging of Side Show features a powerhouse ensemble led by two alternating pairs of actors portraying the conjoined Hilton twins: Tanya Manalang and Marynor Madamesila, and Krystal Kane and Molly Langley.

Playing the charismatic ringmaster known as The Boss is veteran performer Jon Santos. The role of press agent Terry Connor is shared by Reb Atadero and CJ Navato, while Vien King and Tim Pavino alternate as Buddy, the vaudeville musician and love interest.

Marvin Ong and Joshua Cabiladas alternate in the role of Jake, a loyal friend and protector of the twins. Supporting them is a diverse and dynamic ensemble that includes Arion Sanchez, Chan Rabutazo, Fay Castro, Daniel Wesley, Ian Hermogenes, Mikee Baskiñas, Pamela Imperial, Pappel, Raflesia Bravo, Red Nuestro, Reine Paisley, and Rhap Salazar, many of whom portray sideshow performers, vaudeville artists, and members of the twins’ world as they rise to fame.

De Venecia said the Sandbox production is very collaborative: “This is a co-created, highly collaborative experience. I really feel like I’m just orchestrating from behind. I’m just setting a framework — and they’re filling it in. And sometimes, I abandon my framework, because they have even better ideas than me. So it’s been so wonderful collaborating with everyone.”

The Sandbox Collective’s 2025 staging of Side Show will run from 26 July through 17 August at the Power Mac Center Spotlight Blackbox Theater in Circuit Makati, with ticket sales already open.