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Hamilton Spectator

‘Big Fish' has heart and warmth

I love the sweet imagination and humour that propels the failed Broadway musical 'Big Fish.' It has heart, warmth and clever music that leads you to uncharted places — so, it beats me why it was such an unmitigated disaster on Broadway in 2013. The fact is, there's no disputing that its 21 bad reviews and audience apathy killed it dead. Certainly, its original New York director, Susan Stroman, did everything but land a spaceship on the Neil Simon theatre stage to keep audiences entertained. Marching bands, rah-rah America dance numbers and twirling baton girls were all trekked out to keep things chugging along. No matter. The book by John August was called clumsy and the score by Andrew Lippa was labelled wannabe Sondheim. Roughly savaged, 'Big Fish' joined the parade of other Lippa flops, from 'The Addams Family' to 'The Wild Party.' All this is by way of trying to make sense of why the show has had no less than two amateur productions here in Hamilton. Hammer Theatre gave it a game go in 2016, even though audiences didn't rush to buy seats. Undaunted, Hamilton Theatre Inc. has just opened a somewhat messy, but very entertaining, production of the show that rides over some seriously troubled singing and annoying technical problems to find the show's haunting core. A teller of tall tales, Edward Bloom lives a charmed life, somewhere in rural Alabama. He's adored by his wife, Sandra, and befriended by some unusual supportive friends. Yet, there's a wall of resistance that separates Edward from his son. Will wants to be close to his father but can't find a way of separating his dad's truth from fantasy. The stories Edward tells always get in the way. So, Will embarks on a journey of discovery, trying to find the man not the myth. 'Big Fish' ultimately turns on the moving discoveries Will Bloom makes, trying to get closer to the father whose remarkable tales are populated with giants, witches, and of course big fish. There's a tenderness here, a sweet sense of love and inevitable loss that gives this show incredible warmth. Thankfully, that tenderness is played out beautifully in Lippa's underrated pastiche of a score, particularly in its gorgeous ballads, 'Time Stops' and 'Fight the Dragons,' given suitable accompaniment by Jennifer Ferreira's large upstage orchestra. There are hoedown numbers and raucous tunes too and, while they're all fun, they deserve more fully-fleshed choreography than they sometimes get here from an inventive Katlyn Alcock. Technically, the show is mauled by troublesome sound. Some lines are impossible to hear, and vocal projection is often too low and lacking in energy. Then there's patchy lighting, which is an ongoing issue at HTI's theatre space. Frequently dim, it gives this show an uncalled for, dreary look. Clearly, there are not enough lamps to properly light HTI's stage, and using a dim follow spot to light scenes doesn't work. Matt Moore's direction finds the show's innate warmth and humour and works best when it's focusing on the show's relationships. It's less felicitous, however, dealing with movement and the way actors use space on the show's wide-open set. Sometimes visually impressive, costumes by The Muses add important colour against vast walls of daffodil yellow paint. Standouts for The Witch, Giant and Ringmaster are excellent, but others don't always work for the characters wearing them. John Connolly is believable as the worried son Will, singing with passion and conveying a likable stage presence. Unfortunately, pitch problems mar things when Connolly forces and pushes too hard. Glen McCann finds the soul of Edward Bloom, a charismatic father and teller of tales. Vocally, he has problems too — when he turns his head toward the theatre's side walls, he's impossible to hear. Fiona Roossien is excellent as Sandra, Edward's loving wife, finding necessary balance between backbone and gentleness. And Aramenta Sobchak and Noun Holloway give good accounts of 'Big Fish's' resident Witch and Giant, finding necessary reality in these larger-than-life creations. Best of all, though, is Meagan Collett's Jenny Hill, bringing truth and grace to the woman who never stopped loving Edward Bloom from a distance. 'Big Fish,' produced by Teryn Lawson, is a musical that fills the stage with fantasy and truth. HTI's production isn't perfect, but it has wonderful warmth and heart. I think its Broadway failure in 2013 was because it was simply a show ahead of its time. Well, it's right on time here in Hamilton in 2025.