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| Charlene Baldridge Photo by Ken Howard |
Big Fish in Vista
As the final production of the 2015 season at Moonllght Amphitheatre, Moonlight Stage Productions presents John August and Andrew Lippa’s 2013 Broadway musical, Big Fish, based on Daniel Wallace’s 1998 novel and the 2003 Columbia Pictures film. It’s a musical with so much heart it will break yours.
We attended the opening September 9 at Brengle Terrace Park in Vista, where the temperature was still 80° Fahrenheit at show time. Moonlight Artistic Director and director of the show, Steven Glaudini, told us prior to curtain that each of the 13 ensemble members had eight costume changes. Bravi, tutti bravi!
William Ivey Long was the original costume designer and these costumes now belong to Musical Theatre West and are coordinated at Moonlight by Roslyn Lehman, Renetta Lloyd and Carlotta Malone. Choreographer Karl Warden provides spectacular ensemble dance numbers, most especially the Act II, the tap-happy “Red, White and True,” and his “Girl in the Water,” Kim Taylor, is lovely. Conductor Elan McMahan leads the 13-piece Big Fish Orchestra and Chris Luessmann is responsible for sound; Jean-Yves Tessier, for lighting. Lots of the scenery is projected (Jonathan Infante) and beautifully done.
The leading roles are very well cast, especially the father and older son at the heart of the story. Both Josh Adamson (Edward Bloom, the father) and Patrick Cummings (Will Bloom, the inquisitive son) have ringing high baritones and they look enough alike to be related. The show opens with a scene in which Will begs Edward not to tell any tall tales at his wedding to Josephine (Andi Davis). Edward, a traveling salesman, has told typical, self-aggrandizing “fish stories” to his son all their lives, and the adult Will doubts they are true. Young Will is played by 13-year-old Elliot Weaver, who played Winthrop last summer in Moonlight’s Music Man.
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| Bets Malone as Sandra and Josh Adamson as Edward photo by Ken Jacques |
As each tall tale is related or recalled, characters materialize, including the Mermaid who gave Edward his first kiss, the Witch (Shirley Johnston) who foretold the details of his death, and Karl (Dustin Ceithamer) a gentle giant who needs only to find himself. The fact that the teenage Edward and Karl run away with a circus merely adds to the colorful cast of characters, among them Amos Calloway (Cris O’Bryon), who makes Edward toil for three years before divulging the name and whereabouts of the gorgeous redhead he saw at an audition. Her name is Sandra (Bets Malone) and she attends Auburn University, so Edward shoots himself through a cannon to get to her, ply her with daffodils and make her his wife.
When Edward becomes terminally ill the grown up Will starts rummaging through Edward’s possessions to see if he can discover who his father really is before it’s too late. The mystery is a deed his dad holds with a woman named Jenny Hill (Katie Whalley Banville), who lives in Edward’s hometown. Jenny tells the most amazing tale of all, making Edward’s life and value abundantly clear.
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| Patrick Cummings as Will and Bets Malone as Sandra Photo by Ken Jacques |
It’s no wonder that Big Fish had only a brief run on Broadway. It’s just too wonderful and wise and real to survive.
See it while you have the chance. Big kudos, Mr. Glaudini.
Big Fish continues at 7:30pm Wednesdays through Sundays (gates open at 6 for picnics) through September 26 at 1200 Vale Terrace, Vista, www.moonlightstage.com or (760) 724-2110.
