About The Show

The two men interrupt a birthday party for the girls. Terry asks their names and they respond, "I'm Daisy, I'm Violet". He then asks them their dreams; Violet, the gentler of the two, wants a normal life of a husband and home; Daisy, on the other hand, seeks fame and fortune ("Like Everyone Else"). Terry tells them he wants to help their dreams come true as he's "Very Well Connected" and suggests Buddy teach the girls a song, but after they leave, the other sideshow performers are worried that Terry and Buddy will take them away ("What Brought Him Here"). Jake, an African-American who plays the Cannibal King in the sideshow and is the twins' friend and protector, begs them to consider what they're getting into and the whole sideshow family adds their opinions ("The Devil You Know").

A few days later, Buddy welcomes the sideshow performers to "A Private Exclusive Show" where the sisters debut their new number, "Typical Girls Next Door". It's a success, but the celebration is cut short when Sir appears and dismisses Terry and Buddy, stating he owns the girls. Once Sir leaves, Terry is determined to help the girls and asks them about their history. The girls tell their story, including being taken in by the woman who delivered them ("You Should Thank Me Every Day"), how doctors wanted to separate them despite the high risks ("Cut Them Apart"), meeting their friend and mentor Harry Houdini ("All in the Mind"), and finally, crossing the ocean to America and becoming wards of Sir ("Come See a New Land"). Terry and Buddy insist they must tell their story to a court and prepare them for their trial.

The day of the trial arrives, but before they go in, the twins confess to each other how infatuated they are with the two men who've come into their lives ("Feelings You've Got to Hide"). On the stand, Sir's lawyer attempts to spin the story in his favor, but testimony from Jake about how the girls are actually treated ensures their freedom.

Back at the sideshow, Daisy and Violet bid farewell to their family, and Jake, having also been cast out of the tour, is invited to also join them and help backstage ("Say Goodbye to the Sideshow").

It's time for the twins' Vaudeville debut, and they're "Ready to Play"!

After the twins' performing triumph, Terry and Buddy shower them with kisses. Hostile reporters asks tough questions about the girls' love life ("The Interview"); Terry and Buddy, however, publicly deny any romantic inclinations despite the truth of their physical affections ("Buddy Kissed Me"), leaving the twins to wonder if they will ever find romantic fulfillment and asking "Who Will Love Me As I Am?"

Filming a musical number, Buddy, Violet, and Daisy sing about how their relationship may work ("One Plus One Equals Three"), but so far no state is willing to issue them a marriage license until Terry plans a Texas wedding for Violet and Buddy as the grand finale of the Texas Centennial. He also reveals that he has found doctors who believe the twins can be successfully separated. Jake, however, confesses to Violet that he has loved her for years ("You Should Be Loved").

The day arrives for the "Great Wedding Show", but everyone has doubts about it: Buddy debates if he should go through with the wedding when he is actually in love with someone else, and Daisy & Violet debate whether to go through with the operation.

Friends from the sideshow return, as does Sir who begs for a job. Jake announces he is leaving and urges Buddy to take care of Violet or to tell her the truth. Buddy confesses that he doesn't love Violet in the right way ("Buddy's Confession").

In the middle of all this, MGM director Tod Browning arrives and offers the twins a movie contract, but only if there's publicity from the wedding, which is now threatened to be called off. Daisy asks Terry to marry her instead ("Marry Me, Terry"), and Terry says he will... after the operation. Browning, however, wants the twins to remain conjoined. The sisters dismiss Terry and convince Buddy to go through with the ceremony, which will at least benefit everyone's career. Left alone, the twins commit to always supporting each other ("I Will Never Leave You").

The wedding proceeds, and the sisters head to Hollywood to join the cast of Freaks ("Finale").

Daisy and Violet Hilton (February 5, 1908 - January 4, 1969) were English-born entertainers who were conjoined twins. Joined by their hips and buttocks, they shared blood circulation and were fused at the pelvis but shared no major organs.

Their mother was a woman named Kate Skinner. Her then-employer, Mary Hilton, gained custody of the twins through uncertain means, though most accounts agree that Mary Hilton recognized the novelty presented by a pair of conjoined twins who had survived birth (a rarity at that time) and quickly sought to exploit them as a carnival sideshow exhibition. The Hilton sisters toured first in Britain in 1911 (aged three) as "The Double Bosses", then to Australia in 1913. Despite a massive advertising campaign, it quickly became apparent that the appeal of the twins, who were the main attraction of the show, was not what the Australian promoter had anticipated; the show closed after only a week, and the twins, along with their mother Mary and sister Edith, were soon abandoned there, taking up work in an Australian circus.

Along the way, the Hilton family came into contact with Myer Myers, a balloon and candy seller in the traveling circus. He took an interest in older sister Edith, and soon a romance blossomed between the shy Edith Hilton and the extrovert Myer. It wasn’t long before he asked Mary for Edith’s hand in marriage. In interviews throughout their lives, Violet and Daisy often remembered their immediate dislike of Myer Myers, and the way he took over control of their lives. He insisted that they call him “Sir,” and when they were not on exhibition in the circus, he insisted that they spend their days doing school lessons, and practicing their violins, saxophones and clarinets. They were also kept away from other children. Their adoptive mother Mary at this time was convinced to turn over the management of the twins to Myer Myers.

In June 1916, the family sailed to San Francisco, and soon after their arrival, the twins became the star attraction with the “Great Wortham Show”, a traveling carnival about to tour the United States. People around the country flocked to see the young girls, based on the intrigue and mystery that had been drummed up by the ambitious Myers. At the conclusion of the summer tour, the carnival based itself in San Antonio, known to the performers as “Worthamville.”

Myers had his sights set on getting the twins into Vaudeville, which proved to be a difficult task as they were perceived as “freaks.” Their big break came from Terry Turner, a publicity director for the Loew theater chain, who booked them to tour in their 350 venues across the country. From there it was to Broadway, and as their popularity grew, they soon found themselves meeting or sharing the stage with stars like Jack Benny, Jackie Coogan, Sophie Tucker, Robert Montgomery, Fanny Brice, and the great illusionist Harry Houdini.

The Hilton Sisters were befriended by escapologist Harry Houdini (born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 - October 31, 1926), who taught them how to “mentally separate from each other.” Learning of the twins’ disadvantageous financial arrangement with their manager, Houdini strongly advised the girls to emancipate themselves from their legal guardians and hit the road on their own. In his book Very Special People, author Frederick Drimmer quoted Houdini as telling the twins, “You must learn to forget your physical link. Put it out of your mind. Work at developing mental independence from each other.” Sadly, Houdini died on Halloween night of 1926 and was never able to help the twins achieve the goal of emancipation in his lifetime.

With the Hilton Sisters' popularity near its peak, they became subject to scandal. The twins had befriended their advance agent, William Oliver, whose wife Mildred became suspicious of their relationship and accused him of improper acts. A postcard from the twins signed to William "with love" prompted Mildred to file for divorce and sue them for $250,000.

During a visit to San Antonio lawyer, Martin J. Arnold, the truth came out. With Myer Myers out of the room, the Hilton sisters told Arnold of their life of abuse and captivity. The lawyer was flabbergasted and immediately took on the twins’ case. Arnold arranged for the girls to be whisked away after a session at their rehearsal studio, and he had them booked them into a suite at the St. Anthony Hotel. The girls then made headlines when, under Arnold's guidance, they began legal proceedings against Myer and Edith Myers. The trial began January 16th, 1931 at the Ninety-Fourth District Court, with an estimated 500 people crammed into the courtroom to witness the proceedings.

Five years after Houdini's death, his wish for the sisters was realized. The Indianapolis Times of Saturday, April 25, 1931, reported “Verdict Frees Siamese Twins From Bondage. Texas Pair Wins $99,000 in ruling releasing them from Guardian.” The sensational trial made headlines all over the country. After the verdict, the girls told reporters, “It is so wonderful to be free to go wherever we please, choose our own friends, and appear in public as humans rather than as freaks.”

In 1932, the twins returned to show business and appeared in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film Freaks.

Tod Browning (born Charles Albert Browning Jr.; July 12, 1880 – October 6, 1962) was an American film director, film actor, screenwriter, vaudeville performer, and carnival sideshow and circus entertainer. He directed a number of films of various genres between 1915 and 1939, but was primarily known for horror films, often cited in the trade press as "the Edgar Allan Poe of cinema."

After the spectacular success of Browning's Dracula (1931) at Universal, Browning returned to MGM, lured by a generous contract and enjoying the auspices of production manager Irving Thalberg. Anticipating a repeat of his recent success at Universal, Thalberg accepted Browning's story proposal based on Tod Robbins' circus-themed tale "Spurs" (1926).