[yasr_overall_rating]
“Big Fish” revolves around the relationship between Edward Bloom (Noel Allen) a traveling salesman and his adult son Will (Jacob Taylor) who looks for what is behind his father’s tall tales.
The story shifts between two timelines. In the present-day real world, sixty year old Edward Bloom faces his mortality while Will prepares to become a father himself. In the storybook fairy tale past, Edward ages from a teenager encountering a witch, a giant, a mermaid, time in the circus and pursuing the love of his life, Sandra (Mady Malouf). The stories of the past and the reality of the present meet each other in flashbacks of Edward’s stories and the harsh reality of how little time Will has left to really understand and know who his father is.
It’s easy to draw comparisons between “Big Fish” to “The Odyssey,” “The Music Man,” and “The Wizard Of Oz.” “It’s about true love, a fairy tale, coming of age, father and son relationship, self discovery, how we face death…I could go on and on!” director Eve Roberts explained to me in an interview after opening night. “Very much a marketing challenge!”
This musical does something that few Broadway shows achieve. It takes you on a spiritual journey and truly feeds the soul. Throughout the show we see Will’s reactions to his father’s elaborate renditions of what the life of Edward Bloom had been like. In flashbacks between childhood and present day adulthood, the struggle for Will and Edward to truly understand each other is not only perfectly written, but delivered and offered to the audience with perfectly captured characterizations.
It needs to be noted that there is a genuine tangible connection between Edward and his wife Sandra. So for as much as this is Edward and Will’s story, its also very much Sandra’s and how she loved them both. Thank you Mady Malouf for your beautiful and graceful portrayal of Sandra Bloom. Mady very deftly moved back and forth in the age of her character through the flashbacks with perfection. Seeing the character of Sandra Bloom trying to bring father and son together at the end of Edward’s life is nothing original. “Make the most of the time you have left” is a very cliche scenario. However, writer John August breaths life into this story with depth and humor seldom seen used in tandem.
If you are familiar with the 2003 film production of “Big Fish,” the musical differs in certain aspects that are important to mention. The mythical town of Specre and Edward’s quest to save it from destruction has been folded into Edward’s home town of Ashton. In the musical, The Witch and Jenny Hill are two distinct characters, where in the film it is one character. Both of these changes for the musical are great improvements for the story. This creates a better pace and more clearly define the choices Edward makes.
As with most productions at Artisan Center Theater, the show is double cast. One cast performs M/F/Sat-3:00, while the other cast performs on T/TH/Sat-7:30. After attending almost 6 months of performances at ACT, many times going back to see a show a second time to review the other cast, I have never been able to say that one cast is better than another at any production I’ve attended. This is not only due to the talent on stage, but also in large part to the talent sitting in the director’s chair. The phenomenal direction Eve Roberts has given her casts exemplifies this.
Most performers on stage would be considered a “triple threat.” Some actors can sing, some singers can act, and then you get the amazing group of performers who can act, sing AND dance! The cast of “Big Fish” absolutely fall into the supremely talented last group. A tipping of the hat in appreciation for her clever and bright choreography needs to be offered to Amy Jones. Although there were a few rough spots in the production numbers “Be The Hero” and “Red White and True,” however, I am having to really nit pick to find any mentionable fault.
From the moment I walked into the black box performance space to the last curtain call, I was completely and entirely transported to Edward and Will Bloom’s world. This in part needs to be credited to the extraordinary set design and artistic vision of Wendy Searcy, ACT’s new Set Designer.
Nothing shows an actor’s true depth of talent more, than when there is a technical blunder to work around. Kudos to Noel and Jacob, who near the end of the second act found the wheel chair Jacob was supposed to be pushing Noel in – stuck between the bed and part of the audience risers! Without missing a note or skipping a step, Noel stood up and improvised a bit of blocking while Jacob lifted the wheelchair up and out of it’s mired position.
Also, several audio technicalities found the music potted up a little high and mics a little low creating a few difficult moments in hearing lyrics. This was especially true during the scene where the Witch (Lauren Peterson) sang.
“Big Fish” is very easily a family show, although the younger audience members may not understand the concepts and struggles being presented without a little explanation before the show.
Performances run from March 4th – April 9th. Tickets can be purchased online at www.artisanct.com or by calling the box office at (817) 284-1200.
Lori, thank you for the detailed review. Beautifully written! Eve has a unique and God-given talent as a director. We have plans to see BIG FISH this weekend. Joyfully, Jackie C. ??