Big Fish? More Like No Fish PLEASE by Vanessa Hsiao

There’s a reason why some musical are not on Broadway anymore. On March 18, 2015, I saw Big Fish by Speakeasy Theater Company at Wimberly Theater. If you are a parent taking children in grade school to a musical, this is perfect. If that’s not you, I do not recommend this musical. Period. But really though, Big Fish was not entertaining and became more of a joke to the audience.

Edward Bloom tells these crazy, exaggerated, irrational stories to his son, Will whom on the opposite hand, is more realistic. As Edward gets closer to death, Will gets curious and discovers the truth behind his father’s bizarre stories. Though this storyline sounds kind of interesting, it got boring real fast. It felt that the whole production was trying so hard to be funny, metaphoric, and original. The actors singing and acting skills was not the issue, it was storyline and production that made it go downhill. First, act 1 was so long that I just wanted to get out of my seat and could not focus on the show. Act 2 had the same number of songs but it was more condense and had less dialogue but more singing. By the end of the show, it felt like a joke. It was not funny, entertaining, and everyone understood the metaphoric meaning at the beginning of the musical.

This musical felt too forced and became uninteresting. With act 1 being too long, it did not help the audience to be awake and engaged. If you want to see a long, boring, cheesy musical, this would be the best musical you will ever see.

 

 

Such a Big Fish by Theresa Rauh

“That was my father's final joke, I guess. A man tells his stories so many times that he becomes the stories.” This is a quote of the musical “Big fish” we visited last night. It is about a son trying to get to know and understand his father.

Edward Bloom always tells mysterious stories and fairy tales about his life. But there are so many different stories and versions, that his son fells he doesn’t really know him. Edward Bloom became a story himself for his son and the people around him. In telling the story of his life it is impossible to separate fact from fiction, the man from the myth. His son fears that the stories are hiding a darker history and they are. Sort of. Maybe. You don’t know what to expect concerning this man. He delights everyone around him with his “larger-than-life stories” as a salesman. When Edward Bloom is diagnosed with cancer and about to die, the family comes together and his son is starting to get to know and understand the stories and therefore the man. He finds out not only how his father met his mother but also how he left his little town he had lived in his entire life and saves it, as it is about to be drowned. Edward Blooms love towards his family can be seen in every aspect of all these stories. The big fish is an ongoing metaphor for Edward Bloom, who not only himself left his “own pond”, but also motivated other people to “move on”. It can also be seen for example as a metaphor for the relationship between Edward Bloom and his son. As Will Bloom discovers and gets to know his father’s “pond”, in which his father once was the “big fish”. The musical starts and ends with fishing a “big fish” and therefore in my opinion the connection is made, that someday even the biggest fishes are caught and brought out of the water and people start understanding each other’s actions, as the mysteries and stories about a person are uncovered and the element of truth comes out. The metaphor of the “big fish”, which goes through the entire story, can be interpreted in many different ways, which I really like.

The acting as well as the singing was pretty good. I really liked the stage settings too. They contained some interesting special effects, like knives throwing or images of the actors projected above the stage, to keep the stage setting entertaining. Also some of the costumes were really complex and imaginative. The fact, that the performance was a little kitschy in some ways can be seen more in a positive way in my opinion than in a negative way, because is also among other things a point that brought life in the show. Overall, I really enjoyed the show and liked the metaphor of the “big fish”.

A Big Time Performance of Big Fish by James Finneral

            Speak Easy Stage Company’s rendition of Big Fish will take you on an unforgettable journey. On Wednesday, March 18th we traveled to Boston Center for the Arts to watch a production of Big Fish. Big Fish is musical based on both a novel and a movie telling the story of Edward Bloom of Alabama. Edward is known to tell a lot of farfetched stories and anecdotes especially to his son Will. Will feels as if he does not know his father very well because of all the unbelievable stories he tells. At Will’s wedding Edward’s doctor notices that Edward has lost some weight and appears to be in pain. He suggests that Edward come in to the doctors office to be checked out. At the doctors office it is concluded that Edward has fast growing cancer, but he does not want Will to know that. When Will figures out about the cancer, he really wants to build a stronger relationship with Edward. Will and his wife, Josephine, look through some of Edward’s old possessions when they find a deed signed by both Edward and his high school crush, Jenny Hill. After this Will constructs a list of all the stories that Edward has told him over the years, to try and get a better understanding of him. The show then adds in a series of flashbacks of Edwards stories. Will goes to Edward’s bedroom and asks him about the deed and Edward lashes out at him. Will proceeds to visit Jenny Hill where she tells him the true story of how Edward saved his hometown of Ashton. When Will returns Edward continuously asks him how his death begins, but will doesn't know because he was never told the story. The two then head down to the river where they used to fish, all of the characters from Edward’s stories meet him to say goodbye. A funeral is held for Edward and the play is ended with Will singing “Be the Hero” to his son which is the same song Edward sung to him as a child.

            First off the acting in this performance was very solid. Although there were a few cheesy moments the actors put on a very believable performance in an extremely fictional play, which can be hard to do. I would love to go through all the actors, but I’ll just highlight a couple. Sam Simahk as Will Bloom provided the whole package of quality acting and singing. Simahk delivered incredible solo performances and also worked well with his fellow other actors. His presence on the stage was incredible and without him the production would have been completely different. Steven Goldstein also had an unforgettable performance as Edward Bloom. Goldstein did a great job both acting and singing. The set of the show was interesting as there were a couple of sheets in the background where there would be projections to show the setting of the scene. I think this was a decent way to show the scene, but there could have been a more effective way to do so. In terms of the style, they were very much trying to re-create and exact story instead of letting the audience know that it is just theater. I believe that style worked well for this performance because the story of the play almost required that method. The most impressive thing about this performance was how clearly the story was told. There were many flashbacks in the show and they were done so cleverly that they were easy to identify as an audience member. Watching the performance I never had to work extra hard to figure out the story because the play was executed so well. Both the director, Paul Daigneault and the actors deserve credit for the clear story telling.

            You should certainly view this production because of the great story to go along with some excellent music. I promise that you will not be perplexed through the entire show because it is done in a way that makes it understandable to all audiences.   

             

Big Fish, more like medium fish, or maybe even small fish by Ebie Quinn

            I recommend Big Fish as performed by the SpeakEasy Stage Company to anyone who is a fan of mediocre musical theatre. And by that I mean, don’t go if you are expecting to be wowed or impressed immensely. Big Fish was originally a book written by Daniel Wllace, and then a Tim Burton movie. It also had an unsuccessful run on Broadway, which to me made perfect sense. The SpeakEasy theatre company performed this show at Roberts Studio Theatre in the Calderwood Pavilion. It is a smaller version of the Broadway show, with a reduced cast and smaller band.

            Big Fish is inherently a story about a father, and a son, and their tumultuous relationship. The two characters act as foils for each other throughout the show. The dad lives in a world of fantasy and tells many lavish exaggerated stories to everyone and more specifically to his son. The son is a self-proclaimed “realist”, who is very fact-focused and not very accepting go his dads stories. The musical switches back and forth from a young version of the son to an older version of the son. The story truly begins at the son’s wedding, where he has just learned of his fathers illness. He also just recently found out that his soon to be wife is pregnant. This turning point in the son’s life provides him an opportunity to better get to know and understand his dad, and he fears that the things he finds out won’t be positive. His dad was on the road most of his life and he always came back with many fantastic tales, involving witches, a mermaid and a very clever giant named Karl, all of whom the audience gets to see. The son’s goal is to chronicle the events that his father told and try to distinguish between fact and fiction. Most of the show consists of the stories.

            Many relationships are explored throughout the musical. The son and the father are constantly fighting and having revelations, and while for some people it seemed to be heart-wrenching, for me it felt cheesy and forced. While this actors didn’t lack talent, and the set didn’t lack creativity, the show overall lacked spark. Often after coming out of an amazing show, the audience members will feel a sort of “theatre high.” I’m sure this is something you have experienced. It is a feeling of happiness and it comes from a place of pure thought-provoking entertainment. I never experienced anything even close to that at this show. I was never blown away, if anything I felt indifferent. It seemed that this show was trying so hard to be original and different, but to me it seemed like a horrible cliche with random fantasy stories thrown in. But hey, that could just be me. The show was constantly striving for poignancy at every turn, but when you have lines like “I’ve been drowning since you left me”, right before a flood comes to the town, I’m going to have trouble taking you seriously. This constant attempt at creating “moments” was just not successful for me as an audience member.

            Overall, I think I might have struggled with the simplistic story itself more than anything. I want to take the time to give the actors credit, and also anyone who was involved with the sets. Many of the actors were phenomenally talented, and I think they did the best they could with the show they were given. The set was also cool and entertaining. I can only imagine the amount of work it would take to produce such complex set and costumes. I found the stage to be very visually interesting, and for me, these things were the highlight of the show.

            I don’t want to completely turn you off to the show. It wasn’t bad by any measure, it just wasn’t great. Not everyone shared my same opinion, and some people around me seemed to enjoy it just fine. You can judge for yourself, was this story amusing and poignant, or the epitome of mediocrity.

Inauthentic Fish by Anna Duffy

            The hook for this review was used to catch a big fish. Get it? I attended the musical Big Fish on Wednesday March 18, 2015 at Wimberly Theater in Boston, Massachusetts. This production was presented by SpeakEasy Stage Company, and is directed by Paul Daigneault and the music and lyrics are by Andrew Lippa. Big Fish is based on the novel by Daniel Wallace and the Columbia Motion Picture written by John August. The story revolves around a dying father and his son, who tries to learn more about his father by recalling stories and legends about his father’s life.

            Big Fish is a cheesy, rejected Broadway musical that is too long. One moment that showed the tackiness of the play was when the father was launched out of a cannon at a carnival. Sound effects were made when he “blasted off”, and a video of an animated person shooting out of a cannon was projected on the top of an arch around the stage. How cheesy is that! Also, the story of the production was shown and told in a narrative way, and did not make you think. It was very straight forward, and there was no abstract meaning behind it. Lastly, this musical was way too lengthy. It was about three hours long, which is too long for a non-Broadway show.

            Big Fish is a non-thought-provoking, wannabe Broadway musical that is unnecessarily elongated. Its unrealistic projections, cliché plot, and extensive period in which it was shown show my points. I do not recommend going to see Big Fish.

A Single Tear by Jonathon Coombs

                Have you ever had a moment where you know something sad is about to happen so your eyes begin to water before anything has happened? Well, that’s what happened to me on the 18^th of March this year while viewing Big Fish in the Speakeasy theatre. I know the part I teared up on was a bit cliché, but it still touched me. Don’t worry, I’m not going to spoil anything in this review.

                Big Fish, in the nature of its title, deals with a struggle of knowing a person who makes up tales of their accomplishments. This is the conflict that carries the plot of the story, with the main character Will trying to find out who his father Edward really is. In my obviously professional opinion, it is a story that hits incredibly close to home. I find enjoyment from telling stories and entertaining the people around me. So I saw myself in the Edward character, as I know the feeling of wanting to tell incredible stories instead of things that actually happened.

                The singing is well done, as it doesn’t feel forced. In most musicals the singing seems to happen in a different dimension then the rest of the play. Events where characters start coming on stage to sing and then disappearing after it’s done. In Big Fish, there is a reason for each song to be sung and for the people that are singing it to be singing it. Whether a character is telling another a story or is explaining frustration the songs and singing go along very well with the plot. As well, most musicals set a bit of a barrier in my opinion from a character when they are singing and when they are not. To me most musicals- I haven’t seen very many but I’ve acted in quite a few- take a bit of humanity away from a character when they are singing, putting the emphasis and focus on the singing instead of staying in character. In this play the actors remember that they are still being a character when they sing, and put their characters emotions behind the singing to drive it home. Also, a point to make is the instrumentation behind it. I feel sad that the musicians weren’t given more credit other than a mention in the program and a point offstage at the end of the play. The music, in any case, is or should be the crutch that holds up a song. This can be for songs in musicals and songs in general. The music in this play is not only the crutch, but something that begs to be listened to. I had to stop myself from getting lost in the instrumentation because I knew that important plot was happening. You can take that as a god or a bad thing, because while it sounds really good it’s not a good thing that I want to be listening to the music alone.

                I feel like I should mention the set, the props and the quality of the acting. But I won’t. I feel that the others in this Winterim will focus on those aspects more than the music and singing. So I will leave them to write about those, and if they don’t, then I guess you’ll just have to see the play to figure that out.

                Overall, I give this a see. One reason I only say this is really because of the experience I had inside the theatre before the play and with the program. I have never seen so much self-promotion in a theatre before and it felt a little much. Maybe it was just from the somethingith anniversary they had and a special sale they had because of it. It just lasted forever, and I did not appreciate that. So, go see this play if you want something to break the monotony of everyday life and want to see characters that have humanity in them.

                Rating: One tear out of breaking down sobbing in the middle of a theatre. This is a good thing, because you don’t want people to know you cried at it. So one tear is perfect because you transfer all of your emotions through that one tear, and then you can hide it. So see the show.