July 26, 27, August 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17
Big Fish is a heartfelt, powerful, and truly magical Broadway musical about fathers, sons, and the stories that we use to define our identities. With a beautiful score by Andrew Lippa, and a witty book by John August, Big Fish is a magnificent “big fish” of a tale, itself – spectacular, fantastical, and overflowing with love. Based on the celebrated novel by Daniel Wallace (Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions) and the acclaimed film written by John August and directed by Tim Burton (Big Fish, 2003), this show celebrates the magic of theatre and the power of a great story.
Big Fish was a very challenging show to put on. Much as Tuck Everlasting and Into the Woods, it deals with more adult oriented issues than most of the shows at the theater. As a result the audiences were less than normal, even though the production values were high.
The show was directed by the veteran production staff of Craig Schieber (director), Mark and Nancy Press (music) and Guy Caridi (choreography).
The main three leads were exceptional with Kristopher Jones as Edward Bloom, the overly imaginative father, Kevin Tanner as the son confused about his relationship to his father, and Ila Faubion Dreessen as the wife/mother who stood between the two men she loves. All three of the leads were theater ‘veterans’ who wanted the chance to do these challenging roles.
One challenge was how to make Karl the Giant, played by Ashton Stonhill, actually tower of the rest of the cast. Ashton had to learn how to navigate around the stage (and even dance a bit) while on stilts.
One unusual thing was that the show included so many talented and experienced dancers. The choreographer was extremely excited because it allowed him to do more advanced dances than he would normally been able to do. Most of the dancers were chosen based on their resumes and video calls, only meeting the directors and choreographer at the first rehearsal.
The set design centered around the dock where Edward first taught his son how to fish and first regaled him with his tall tales. There also needed to be innovative ways of portraying a field of daffodils and a rising flood (and flying fish).
The scenes were differentiated by ‘swirling’ flats which would finally come to rest setting up each scene. Kristen Deskin, the stage manager, had to coordinate all these with the chorus members who also acted as scene changers.
The chorus also had a lot of costume changes as they morphed from family friends, circus performers, and towns people.
The cast was composed with veterans from the 80s and 90s couple with many who were new to the theater and the challenges of outdoor theater in the Pacific Northwest.
Director: Craig Schieber; Choreographer: Guy Caridi; Music Director: Mark Press; Asst. Music Director: Nancy Press; Stage Manager: Kristen Deskin & Danette Lam; Costumes: Amy Fancher; Props: Angela Templin; Sets: George Pledger & Jim Johnson; Technical Director: Kevin Matthews; Production Manager: Gala Lindvall; Associate Production Manager: Jenny Dreessen
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