If you’ve followed this blog from the beginning, you’ll know that Big Fish has not always been at the top of my list. It took a few tries before it won me over–although I still have a few details I would like to change in the script (wouldn't “I Don’t Need a Roof” make more sense if Sandra were actually at risk of not having a roof??). But I can appreciate now that this musical has a strong emotional core in the relationship between tall-tale-teller Edward Bloom and his cautious son Will, who’s eager to find out the truth about his father’s life before he himself becomes a father.
Good Works Community Theater began rehearsals for Big Fish in 2020 and after multiple rescheduling attempts were finally able to perform this month at Wayzata Community Church. The show was free to attend, with volunteers accepting donations for the theater group and for the non-profit organization World Central Kitchen. The performance I attended was the Saturday matinee, which was promoted as child and special-needs friendly. There were plenty of children in the audience, and I noticed volunteers actively making the theater space more accessible by moving the seating and offering help to people with mobility difficulties.
Autumn Toussaint pulled triple duty in this show as director, choreographer, and Present Sandra. As director and choreographer, she made smart choices about how and when to use the show’s large cast. The smallest children weren’t in many scenes, but they had their moments to shine as adorable fish and campfire flames. A group of graceful young dancers appeared in multiple big group numbers and also as daffodils, which was a really lovely addition to the Act I finale. Toussaint also took every opportunity to use the past and present versions of characters, letting them observe each other in some scenes and creating interesting transitions between the two times. Another interesting choice was the creepiness Toussaint brought out in Edward’s nightmare in “Showdown.” It’s my least favorite scene because it doesn’t really fit in stylistically to suddenly have a cowboy scene, but the surprise of seeing the dream figures crawl out of the television and out from under the bed did give me a new perspective on the scene! There was no vocal director listed in the program, and I'm not sure what that means for how the vocal performances were developed, but the cast sounded good, individually and as an ensemble. "Red, White, and True," the jazziest number in the show, had a particularly nice vocal balance.
The set for this production was created by Rick Graft and Bill Boulware. I was immediately drawn to the evocative overgrown pier, and I thought the “Red, White, and True” setup created interesting structure for the choreography to play off of. There was a lot of detail put into the walls for the various rooms–although the designers may have gone a little overboard with the “views” painted into the windows, which didn’t agree with every scene (Edward's sunny window didn't fit when the band broke into rain sounds, for example). I'm not sure who exactly to credit for the projections on the sides of the stage, which added colorful detail to the scenes. The projections were occasionally a little hard to parse; for example, when the "wall with child's drawings tacked onto it" transitioned to an aged, decaying version, was that meant to be metaphorical or an actual indication of Edward and Sandra's housekeeping? In general, though, the projections were colorful and helped set the tone of the scenes. The image of fireflies by the lake at sunset was a particularly nice one.
Lighting was by Audio Logic Systems/Corren Olson, and while I didn’t get the full effect at this matinee because of the building's skylights, there were some fun details; for example, gobos (lighting stencils) added a creepy vibe to “I Know What You Want.” I mainly noticed Sam Hudson’s sound engineering in the stone-skipping sound effect of the first scene, but overall there was also a good balance between the vocalists and the band. Karla Litch’s costume designs included very believable modern looks that suited the characters well, and a blend of historical and fanciful looks for the past. Some of my favorites were the two Jenny Hills, who wore the same fabrics in different styles, and the little fire dancers who had glowing lights in their red tutus. The witch had another fun look, topped off with a striking purple bouffant wig.
As Edward Bloom, Patrick Morgan was confident and irrepressible. Morgan had a solid sense of comic timing and didn't slip on a single joke. His vocal talent shone through on songs like "Fight the Dragons," but his performance culminated in a very moving "How It Ends." Christopher Paulson (Present Will) brought a lightness that still felt grounded to his vocals. Present (adult) Will is used to restraining his feelings, and Paulson's gentle touch with the character's emotionality that felt very realistic. Personally, I wish there had been less background action in "Stranger," because the lyrics are working hard to establish the conflict of the show and it's easy to miss them when there's other action happening. McLean Roeder made Past Will's struggle feel authentic; (young) Will is frequently disappointed by his father, but can't help being won over time after time. This tension is essential to Present Will's conflict, and Roeder's performance, and the believable rapport between Morgan and Roeder, set it up nicely.
For whatever reason, the Past and Present Sandras weren't split in the typical way; usually the scenes with Will as a boy involve Past Sandra, but in this show those scenes used Present Sandra. It played naturally, but for those of us who are overly familiar with the show, it did provoke some curiosity. Autumn Toussaint's Present Sandra felt like a very realistic modern Southern woman; she was self-assured and a little brassy, with relationships that felt grounded and lived-in. Toussaint's interpretation of "I Don't Need a Roof" was very smart–knowing when to push and when to pull back brought out the emotional of the scene and showed off her vocal skills to perfection. Although not in as many scenes as I expected, Marissa Noe’s Past Sandra had a strong sense of character, especially in moments like “Time Stops.” She was very entertaining as the star performer in “Red, White, and True.” As Will's wife Josephine, Hannah Cruzen was full of personality and had a lot of very funny moments. In Act II, her performance as a judgmental, pregnant, dancing cowgirl brought me a lot of enjoyment in my least favorite scene (“Showdown”).
Jason Hettinger was a delight as Karl the giant, both in his wild-eyed beginnings and then his transition to smooth businessman. Adam Thompson was endearingly wolfish as circus director Amos. Erik Nymo and Betsy Stewart seemed to be having a lot of fun as the obnoxious Price brothers, and they got a lot of laughs from the audience. Jenny Hill (both versions) is one of the trickier characters in the show. There’s sadness and regret in her story, but that doesn't need to be the only thing about her, so I was pleased in this production to see the nuance Becky Pierson and Alyssa Kane brought to the character. Pierson’s Past Jenny was complex but determined to carry on, and Kane’s Present Jenny had gained wisdom from her experiences and felt like a woman who refused to be beaten down by grief. Kris Sterling's Witch was fun and glam, with a nice belt in "I Know What You Want." Leslie Rodeck was empathetic as Edward's doctor, and Maeve Perkins was entertaining as the assassin Red Fang.
Throughout the show, there were plenty of other little character moments from the ensemble. The circus was full of colorful characters, from a sub-standard juggler (Betsy Stewart again), to a graceful ballerina, to a clown helping two small children through a tumbling routine. During the extended slow-motion of “Time Stops,” I particularly enjoyed seeing the children—very slowly!—pull never-ending scarves from the clown’s pockets. The dance numbers were strong and the ensemble brought a lot of personality to the large group scenes.
It was clear throughout this production that Good Works Community Theater truly put this show on for the community, and it showed in the enthusiasm of both cast and audience. It's always nice to see new choices in a familiar project, especially when they strengthen the emotional impact of the story. Overall, this was a beautiful production, and I'm glad that, after so many delays, it was finally able to make it to the stage.
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