GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

Oddities! Freaks! Step right up!

Geek's role in 'Sideshow' is all about self-acceptance

by Anthony Glassman

Cleveland-The fortuneteller promises to unveil the secrets of the future; the bearded woman winks seductively; the reptile man flicks his tongue out, mimicking his scaled namesakes.

Pierre-Jazcques Brault

There are others here: the tall man, the short man, the fat woman, the strong man. Some are born what the barkers call them, others impose it on themselves. Whatever the case, they are the reason people come here. They are the Freaks. You are in their home; you are in Side Show.

The true story is quite simple, and hits very close to home. Daisy and Violet Hilton, conjoined twins, are discovered in a sideshow and become legitimate stars in vaudeville. Things come full circle, in a way, when director Tod Browning selects them to be in his 1932 film Freaks.

With music by gay composer Henry Krieger of Dreamgirls fame, and book by Bill Russell, writer of Elegies for Angels, Punks, and Raging Queens, the musical opened to rave reviews in October 1997. Despite getting good notices from the crit-

ics, it had a fairly short run, and is seldom staged.

It has, however, achieved a sort of cult status, a latter-day Rocky Horror. Part of the reason is the underlying theme of acceptance and self-love, according to PierreJacques Brault, a senior in the musical theater department of

BaldwinWallace College in Berea, Ohio, who fills the role of the Geek in Cleveland Play House's production of Sideshow.

"The whole show is about self-acceptance," said the openly gay actor, who hails from the Cleveland suburb

of

Beachwood. "Act one ends with the number, 'Who Will Love Me As I Am?""

"In society, a black man, a gay man, a heavyset woman are treated as freaks," he continued. "Being a gay man, first you need self-love, to be able to stand out and say, who will love me as I am?"

Brault was attracted to the play for more than the themes of acceptance and diversity, though. The head of his department at school, Victoria Bussert, is directing, as she did the 1999 Cain Park production.

"She's a great director to work with," Pierre said, explaining his decision to take the role. "Also, the show is rarely done because it didn't run long on Broadway, and it's hard to put on."

Preparing for a role is very important to actors, and Brault did just that, immersing himself in books and films about sideshows

April 27, 2001

and "freaks," including the Tod Browning film, which was banned in Browning's native England for 30 years.

"I bring a lot of personal things to the role to make it real for me, and make my performance more raw and vulnerable for the audience," he told the Gay People's Chronicle.

Does that mean, playing the Geek, he bites the heads off of things?

"Yes, a stuffed toy chicken with a Velcroed-on head," he admitted, expressing relief that he didn't have to go further with the role.

"Geeks are considered the lowest of the sideshow, self-inflicted freaks," he said. "They were usually alcoholics, and died young because of the alcoholism."

Brault, however, has many plans for the future, none of which include dying young. "I'm going on a tour of Gypsy in August, and then I'm moving to New York," he confided. "I want to move to London, but that takes a lot of planning."

After Side Show, Brault will be directing Mercury Summer Stock, which will present the musical The Wiz.

"I started [Mercury] last year because I have a strong desire to direct because of Vicki,” he explained, referring to Bussert by her nickname. "I also wanted the opportunity to give my friends and younger kids a chance."

There are some changes for Mercury this year, according to Brault.

"We went non-profit this year," he told the Chronicle. "I'm also bringing some drag queens from Akron to play in The Wiz, to get the audience more involved and accepting."

Brault is no stranger to directing, though. He cut his directorial teeth on Falsettos, a play about a man who leaves his wife for another man.

Brault, and the rest of the cast of Side Show for that matter, already feel self-love. Now it's time for the rest of us to love them in their roles.

Side Show will play at the Cleveland Play House's Bolton Theatre through May 13. For tickets and more information, call the Play House at 216-795-7000.

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Conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton (Carole Dunne and Sandra Simon) perform in a side show.