BWW Reviews: MTW Stages Colorful West Coast Premiere of BIG FISH, Ends 11/16

Broadway's loss is definitely Long Beach's gain now that the big, bright, and buoyant new musical BIG FISH is making a splash as the season opener for Musical Theatre West's 62nd season. Filled to the brim with heart, emotional heft, and colorful storytelling, this slightly flawed but charmingly imaginative new musical wraps up its final remaining West Coast premiere performances at the Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts in Long Beach through November 16.

My immediate recommendation? Definitely experience this while you can.

Without a doubt, MTW scored a bountiful catch when the theater company announced that it will be the first professional regional theater in the country to stage the show, with the added bonus of using the very same sets, costumes, and multi-media projections directly from the sadly short-lived Broadway production directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman. That alone should certainly earn this Southern California remount our piqued curiosity. And for those lucky enough to see this regional production during its too-short run in Long Beach will find themselves rewarded with an engaging, beautifully-re-staged, Southern-style fantasy helmed admirably by director Larry Carpenter.

Based on the 1998 novel by Daniel Wallace and the book's 2003 big-screen adaptation directed by Tim Burton, BIG FISH explodes right out of the gate with whimsical wonder and appealing charm as it chronicles the strained, uneasy relationship between happily eccentric Edward Bloom (a winning Jeff Skowron) and his staid, soon-to-marry adult son Will (Andrew Huber).

Throughout his life, Will (portrayed as a young boy in flashbacks by the terrific Jude Mason) hasn't felt much of a closeness to his father Edward, considering Edward was often absent from home---an unfortunate side-effect caused by laboring his way through various locales as a road-worn traveling salesman. When he is around, Edward chooses to engage his son by spinning fantastical, too-strange-to-be-true tall tales that finds Edward performing incredible feats of heroism and astounding derring-do while interacting with a giant, a mermaid, a werewolf, and a witch. And, yes, even gigantic big fish.

Will, even as a boy, found many of the seemingly fictional stories highly suspect, eventually increasing his bitterness towards his father, despite the fact that his mother, Edward's lovingly devoted wife Sandra (a luminous Rebecca Johnson), remains madly in love with Edward and doesn't seem at all fazed by his outlandish stories.

Of course, all Will ever wanted was a truth-telling, present father, but all Edward thought Will needed---perhaps as compensation for being so maddeningly absent---was a father that was much more extraordinary than he truly is in real life. While these stories certainly aren't good enough to excuse his absence, in a way, that's exactly what Edward becomes... a truly extraordinary person living quite an amazing life. Well, that is, if you believe his wild stories.

Will, naturally, grows up to become a journalist, the sort of man that prefers empirical evidence to support theories and stories. And as you may have gleaned already, Will still does not believe any of his father's tall tales---and the annoyance that these stories have caused continues to color his view of his father in the most unflattering light. Presently, Will is super-worried about his father causing some kind of embarrassing scene at his wedding ceremony to his fiancé Josephine (Kristina Miller).

But soon, this rocky father-son relationship is put to the ultimate test. *SPOILER ALERT!* Just as Will discovers that he is soon going to be a father himself for the first time, Edward is told by doctors that he is terminally ill. The news sends both men spinning into, you guessed it, different goals: for Will, it is to make sure his family's affairs are in order---and to perhaps also investigate the truth about some of his father's stories. For Edward, his goal before passing away is to make sure Will remembers every detail and nuance of his "stories" from top-to-bottom so that Will can share them with his future children, and so that people won't ever forget who Edward Bloom was and what a full, heroic life he led.

Featuring truly rousing, tuneful songs by Andrew Lippa, a humor-filled book by John August (who also wrote the screenplay of the film adaptation), and flashy choreography by Peggy Hickey, BIG FISH is quite a feast for the senses. Visually, the musical is stunning---from six-time Tony Award winner William Ivey Long's gorgeously vivid costumes to John Infante's dazzling projections that accentuate Julian Crouch's original (now repurposed) sets. Sound-wise, the playful ensemble cast sounds marvelous accompanied by the mini-orchestra conducted by musical director Matthew Smedal.

I, for one, was mostly curious as to how the out-of-this-world moving images conjured up by Burton for his film version would be re-imagined for the stage. Thankfully---working in the stage version's favor---it's not quite a shot-for-shot staging. What BIG FISH definitely gets right is its bold, dynamic staging---combined with its grandiose set pieces---that still allows for enough expansion of one's own imagination to compensate for the lack of high-priced FX you may have been expecting to be replicated from the film.

And, speaking of high-prices... say what you will about the theatrical budgets of Broadway houses versus local regional theaters, but I must admit seeing those gorgeous sets and costumes that came directly from the recently-shuttered Broadway production made MTW's premiere an even more dazzling, eye popping treat (I would have loved the elephants at the circus sequence more had the set pieces worked correctly on Opening Night). But once you see the Carpenter Center stage covered in wall-to-wall yellow daffodils to highlight a particularly important, romantic moment in the show, the visual is so arresting, you too will fall wildly in love with Edward and his grand gesture.

As yet another movie-turned-musical, BIG FISH certainly ranks as one of the better ones in recent memory. Though much of the stage musical also displays deep roots in traditional classic book musicals, it does play around with non-traditional parallel timelines---the present time, flashbacks, plus flashbacks that are Edward's tall tales---which prove to be both its source of plucky charm and instant likability as well as its slightly frustrating bloat.

Alas, as enjoyable as the show is, it is also, of course, not exactly perfect either---which may explain why the show just didn't quite gel into a smash hit in New York. Despite even cutting out some of the extra characters and storylines from the novel and film, the stage iteration still somehow feels densely over-padded (particularly in the beginning). Perhaps writer August---who wrote both the film screenplay and this stage adaptation---is too married to his own words to make the necessary narrative cuts.

At the same time, the character of Will could have also used a little more beefing-up. As shown in its current state in the musical, the character feels (at first) nothing more than just an annoyed person too wrapped up in another's foibles and too busy trying to prove he's right. It is not until the show ends when you realize the gravity of the character in the universe of BIG FISH---he is the sole person that takes a journey of change, which involve growth, understanding, and forgiveness. He may not be the source of magic and wonder here, but he's the one person that magic needed to transform more than anyone else. This definitely contributed to the audience unnecessarily feeling distant from the character... that is, until the end.

So by the time the show reaches the conclusion you totally saw coming, the impact of the resolution loses a bit of steam---yet, well, c'mon... if you were like me, the tears still flowed freely. But much of that can be attributed to the heartfelt performances given by this outstanding cast.

In a show like BIG FISH, it pretty much lives and dies by the person selected to play the lead role. Lucky for MTW, they found their charismatic Edward Bloom in Ovation Award winner Skowron, who, once again, proves himself to be such a versatile, awesome-sounding, able leading man with a truly commanding stage presence and a musical theater prowess that serves his character's erratic jumps of emotions very well throughout the show. You better make room for another award statue on that mantle, there, Jeff.

He also has electric, playful chemistry with every character he meets on the way, especially Johnson who portrays his true-hearted wife Sandra. Johnson also has a superb second act tear-jerking solo on "I Don't Need A Roof" that was so beautifully rendered that I wish I could listen to it over and over again on repeat.

As Will, Huber does an admirable job despite an underwritten character, providing sincere moments interacting with Johnson, Skowron and on-stage love Miller (but like his character, he gets a winning redemption at the end). Fortunately, his vocal chops are given a chance to shine, too. Young pint-sized thespian Mason, as he did in the recent La Mirada production of LES MIZ, steals the spotlight whenever he's on stage, but for great reasons. His scenes with Skowron are so genuine that you believe the two are father and son.

Other brilliant standouts include Timothy Hughes who plays the misunderstood Giant, Karl; Zachary Ford who plays Edward's naughty nemesis/frenemy Don Price; Gabriel Kalomas as ringmaster/secret werewolf Amos Calloway; and Molly Garner as the future-seeing witch.

Overall, BIG FISH---despite some minor narrative short-comings---is indeed a wondrous, entertaining musical that is as wildly imaginative as it is emotionally piercing. Edward's folksy tall-tales may seem far-fetched and quite outlandish, but they certainly speak volumes of our human need to appear better (really, heroic) in children's eyes. What parent wouldn't want to seem super extraordinary to their kid, even if it means dispensing embellishments? We all get just one life... might as well make it downright phenomenal, as long as you're not physically harming anyone.

Let me tell ya... there's nothing wrong with being a big fish in a small pond.

Follow this reviewer on Twitter: @cre8iveMLQ

Photos © Caught In The Moment Photography/Musical Theatre West.

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Final remaining performances of Musical Theatre West's West Coast Premiere of BIG FISH continue through Sunday, November 16, 2014 and are scheduled Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m., and Sunday evening at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $20. There is a $3 service charge per ticket. Prices are subject to change without notice. Group rates are available for 12 or more.

Musical Theatre West performs at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center located at 6200 E. Atherton Street in Long Beach, CA.

For tickets or for more information, please call 562-856-1999 x4 or visit online at www.musical.org

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