Sometimes, life's stories can be more extraordinary
than any fairytale. Big Fish gives account
of the tall-taled days of Edward Bloom (Norbert Leo Butz), a man whose life
seems to come out of a story book. Although Will's(Zachary Unger as the child,
and Bobby Steggert as the adult) mother Sandra (Kate Baldwin) and wife
Josephine (Krystal Joy Brown) indulge in the truth of Edward's fanciful tales,
Will refuses to believe until he can uncover for himself what is real and what
is fantasy. What results is the manifestation of all of Edward's best memories
woven into present day to show us that in fact, "The ones who face their
fears lead the most interesting lives."
Butz
is the true definition of a Leading Man. His presence is commanding, and with a
velvety voice and ease in dance, you don't want to take your eyes off of him.
Even more impressive was his ability to seamlessly transform his age from an
elderly man, to a teenager, to an adult, and back again within a matter of moments;
I'm not even sure how old Butz really is he transitioned so well. The same goes
for Baldwin. We get to watch Sandra gracefully change from girl to woman, all
while being lucky enough to hear her beautiful voice ring out. Bobby Steggert(Older Will) stands his ground with the
heart wrenching performance of a son struggling to believe in the man he has looked
up to his entire life. 
From
the very moment the lights came up, the stage is flooded in rich beautiful
color; Julian Crouch's scenic design transforms from a dark forest to a warm,
modest household to bright USO show. William Ivey Long's costume designs could
be considered their own characters with dresses becoming swaying trees and
crackling campfires, men turning into giants, and women into mermaids. From Ashton, Alabama to Central Park, to the Calloway
Circus, each new world is more fantastic than the last. Use of projections made
the impossible a reality, and technical aspects including a stage full of
daffodils and dancing elephants made it a spectacular. Andrew Lippa's bright
score and Susan Stroman' s exciting choreography are reminiscent of the classic
Golden Age of Broadway with big production numbers ("Be the Hero") to
tear-jerking ballads ("I Don't Need a Roof"). Together, everything
blends to make a fresh, modern take on the classic Musical Theatre
structure. 
Many
will notice that although the story is still from Daniel Wallace's novel, it is
not the same as the Big Fish we know
from Tim Burton's film. On screen, the life of Edward Bloom was much darker and
oftentimes more like a fable, whereas onstage it's closer to a fairytale. In my
opinion this was a smart move by John August, who penned both the screenplay
and the musical's book. The bright version of Big Fish for stage is energetic and engaging, which is needed for a
piece of musical theatre to be successful. Many shows that come to Broadway now
are inspired by films, so oftentimes it can be difficult to stick out and be
memorable. Where Big Fish gets it
right is its ability to stand as its own piece of theatre, you don't need to be
a fan of the movie to fall in love with the piece on stage.
Big
Fish opened October 6 and is now playing at The Neil Simon
Theatre.
Review By: Kelcie Kosberg
Review By: Kelcie Kosberg
