One of the greatest strengths of LA’s immersive theatre scene is the experimentation. Shows have been pushing in different directions from the abstract to the dark to the playful. There’s often a palpable sense of excitement that comes with walking into a show without any idea of what to expect. That innovation and boundary pushing is thrilling, but somehow, we flew straight over some of the familiar stories. CoAct Productions’ The Sideshow is here to tell one of those:
The love story.
These well-worn tales are timeless because when they work, they work. And The Sideshow? It works marvelously.
The Sideshow throws audiences back into the lives of two circus performers in the 1930s, a time when the dust hadn’t settled from the Wall Street Crash of ’29 and prohibition was still swinging. Through a carefully utilized space and some stellar production design, CoAct captures the feel of a circus’ backstage and then injects it with the essence of that time.
That backstage area has all the trappings of the circus, from the hay on the floor to the various props for different acts, that help the audience quickly adjust to their new locale. It doesn’t have the wonder or scope of the center ring, but more importantly for the story it gives off a lived-in feeling where people can drop their act and be themselves.
And of course, what is a love story without its people? Enter Nora (Katelyn Schiller) and Clovis (Dakota Loesch). She’s a fast-talking lady who tempers her excellent elocution with a bit of a foul-mouth. He’s a matter-of-fact circus clown with aspirations beyond the big top. Together they’re the heart of the show.
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Working off a script by Nick Rheinwald-Jones and directed by Lyndsie Scoggin, Schiller and Loesch shine all the brighter under those circus lights. The Sideshow rests on their shoulders and the pair are spectacular.
It’s the quiet kind of spectacular though, so easy and effortless you fall into it without even realizing you’re there. They charm their way through the whole performance while peeling back layers as they need to. The format gives both ample time to establish themselves on their own and together. In a sense, the audience becomes the third person in a trapeze act, passed carefully between Nora and Clovis before landing exactly where they need to.
As important is Schiller and Loesch’s natural chemistry as they bicker, banter, and bounce off each other. Their scenes apart are vital to establishing who they are, which in turn makes their time together hit all the right notes. That’s not to say that the audience doesn’t have a small part to play. The two are aware that you’ve entered their world and Clovis may ask you for advice or Nora may want to run her lines with you. That’s about as far as audience interactivity goes though, but it’s fitting, this is their story after all.
When the show ended, I felt like I was floating back to my car, just riding the feeling of the show the whole way. It was a reminder of the power of immersive theatre and how it’s a big tent that can fit all kinds of acts. Sometimes they can be grandiose or strange or complicated. Sometimes they can be small, intimate shows where you watch two people fall in love. The Sideshow is a lovely, charming performance that tells a classic story with a touch of magic.
The Sideshow runs through August 26th in an undisclosed location in Glendale. Tickets are $75, and the production is currently sold out.
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