Playwright returns to direct musical
By Joanne Fox Journal staff writer | Posted: Friday, July 18, 2008
Bill Russell, center, directs Esera Tuaolo during a rehearsal of Russell's Tony-nominated musical, "Side Show," the next production scheduled for the Betty Ling Tsang Summer Fine Arts Series at Morningside College's Buhler Outdoor Performance Center. (Staff photo by Jim Lee)
A Tony-nominated lyricist and playwright has returned to his alma mater to direct a concert version of his Broadway musical.
Bill Russell, who attended Morningside College from 1967 to 1969, will take the helm at the presentation of "Side Show" this weekend. The musical is inspired by the true story of conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton, who became stars during the Depression. Told almost entirely in song, the show follows their progression from England to America, around the vaudeville circuit and to Hollywood.
Russell made his Broadway debut as a writer with "Side Show." The musical opened in October 1997 and "Side Show" received Tony nominations in 1998 for best musical, best actress, book (musical) and original musical score.
"The idea came up in 1985 when a friend told me about this horrendous film called 'Chained for Life' about Siamese twins who sang, dance and played instruments," said Russell in a phone conversation from his home in New York. "I thought it was a great idea for a musical; it was inherently theatrical."
Researching the show turned out to be fairly easy since Daisy and Violet lived in the public eye, Russell said.
"In 1990, a friend of mine found a booklet that was actually a promotional tool for the bad movie," he said. "But it was written as an autobiography of the women, told in alternating paragraphs from their point of view.
"In fact," he added, "the women led such dramatic lives, it was tough to decide what to leave out.'
Russell was adamant he didn't want to do a show that was "two hours of bad Siamese twins jokes." He sought out the talents of Academy Award-nominated composer Henry Krieger, best known for writing the music for "Dreamgirls."
"I'd always wanted to work with Henry, so I sent him a fax and found out I had written one of his favorite songs, a closing number for an AIDS piece I'd written," he said. "We both agreed that we wanted to treat the subject matter seriously and saw it as essentially being told through song."
Russell attended Morningside College for two years majoring in theater and spent the summers directing shows at a resort in northern New Jersey. There he met an Oberlin student, Janet Hood, and, inspired by "Hair," asked if she'd like to write a rock musical together.
They did -- entirely by mail -- and the result was presented at the University of Kansas where Bill transferred because Bill Becvar, a professor from Morningside, was doing graduate work there and said he'd like to direct an original play. That show, a modern version of the Icarus myth titled "Sun, Son," won for Russell the national BMI Inter-Varsity Show Competition for original musicals.
The last time Russell was on the Mustang's campus was 2003 when Morningside awarded him an honorary degree of doctor of humane letters. He put together an evening of his songs and one of the performers was Randy Peters, who now serves as the artistic director for the Betty Ling Tsang Summer Fine Arts Series at Morningside.
"Last summer Randy contacted me about directing a show and I recommended 'Side Show' in concert," Russell said. "I love directing and I happened to be available so that's how we made the connection."
Russell is a South Dakota native who lives in New York City and continues to write and direct. His many Broadway and off-Broadway credits include "Pageant" and "Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens."
"First I thought I wanted to be an actor, but then I realized I wanted to write and direct," he said. "Because Morningside was such a small department, I got the whole immersion which has been really, really helpful to me,
"Even though I might have some success now, I still might have to hang lights and I know how to do that, thanks to Morningside," he quipped.
"Side Show" will be performed at 7 p.m., Saturday in the Buhler Outdoor Performance Center at 3625 Garretson Ave. on the Morningside campus. The free concert is the second of four productions scheduled for the Betty Ling Tsang Summer Fine Arts Series at Morningside's new outdoor amphitheater-style performance center. In the event of rain, the concert will be moved to Eppley Auditorium on the Morningside campus.
Bill Russell, who attended Morningside College from 1967 to 1969, will take the helm at the presentation of "Side Show" this weekend. The musical is inspired by the true story of conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton, who became stars during the Depression. Told almost entirely in song, the show follows their progression from England to America, around the vaudeville circuit and to Hollywood.
Russell made his Broadway debut as a writer with "Side Show." The musical opened in October 1997 and "Side Show" received Tony nominations in 1998 for best musical, best actress, book (musical) and original musical score.
"The idea came up in 1985 when a friend told me about this horrendous film called 'Chained for Life' about Siamese twins who sang, dance and played instruments," said Russell in a phone conversation from his home in New York. "I thought it was a great idea for a musical; it was inherently theatrical."
Researching the show turned out to be fairly easy since Daisy and Violet lived in the public eye, Russell said.
"In 1990, a friend of mine found a booklet that was actually a promotional tool for the bad movie," he said. "But it was written as an autobiography of the women, told in alternating paragraphs from their point of view.
"In fact," he added, "the women led such dramatic lives, it was tough to decide what to leave out.'
Russell was adamant he didn't want to do a show that was "two hours of bad Siamese twins jokes." He sought out the talents of Academy Award-nominated composer Henry Krieger, best known for writing the music for "Dreamgirls."
"I'd always wanted to work with Henry, so I sent him a fax and found out I had written one of his favorite songs, a closing number for an AIDS piece I'd written," he said. "We both agreed that we wanted to treat the subject matter seriously and saw it as essentially being told through song."
Russell attended Morningside College for two years majoring in theater and spent the summers directing shows at a resort in northern New Jersey. There he met an Oberlin student, Janet Hood, and, inspired by "Hair," asked if she'd like to write a rock musical together.
They did -- entirely by mail -- and the result was presented at the University of Kansas where Bill transferred because Bill Becvar, a professor from Morningside, was doing graduate work there and said he'd like to direct an original play. That show, a modern version of the Icarus myth titled "Sun, Son," won for Russell the national BMI Inter-Varsity Show Competition for original musicals.
The last time Russell was on the Mustang's campus was 2003 when Morningside awarded him an honorary degree of doctor of humane letters. He put together an evening of his songs and one of the performers was Randy Peters, who now serves as the artistic director for the Betty Ling Tsang Summer Fine Arts Series at Morningside.
"Last summer Randy contacted me about directing a show and I recommended 'Side Show' in concert," Russell said. "I love directing and I happened to be available so that's how we made the connection."
Russell is a South Dakota native who lives in New York City and continues to write and direct. His many Broadway and off-Broadway credits include "Pageant" and "Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens."
"First I thought I wanted to be an actor, but then I realized I wanted to write and direct," he said. "Because Morningside was such a small department, I got the whole immersion which has been really, really helpful to me,
"Even though I might have some success now, I still might have to hang lights and I know how to do that, thanks to Morningside," he quipped.
"Side Show" will be performed at 7 p.m., Saturday in the Buhler Outdoor Performance Center at 3625 Garretson Ave. on the Morningside campus. The free concert is the second of four productions scheduled for the Betty Ling Tsang Summer Fine Arts Series at Morningside's new outdoor amphitheater-style performance center. In the event of rain, the concert will be moved to Eppley Auditorium on the Morningside campus.
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