Live, love and dream bigger is the tagline for the new
Broadway musical Big Fish based off
the film and book of the same name now playing at the Neil Simon Theatre. The
show proves to be just as inspirational and comforting as its tagline for any
adult that is pining for a show that leaves you with a warm feeling inside.
The feel-good musical tells the
story of Edward Bloom (Norbert Leo Butz) a traveling salesman on the verge of
death who always tells tall tales in a way to makeup for many years of family
neglect and lousy parenting. The show boasts a starry creative team who are no
strangers to the theatre. Susan Stroman directs and choreographs the imaginative
and dreamy piece, book writer John August adapts his screenplay from the film
to the stage with the perfect balance of romance and seriousness and Andrew
Lippa provides the upbeat music and lyrics that will have everyone singing on
the way to a post-show dessert at Juniors.
Norbert Leo Butz once again plays a
character whose moral flaws are outwardly present and wins over the audience by
solving their problems and fixing the flaws with an awakening Ebenezer Scrooge
style While the role of Edward Bloom appears to be similar to that of Butz’s
Tony Award winning performances in Dirty
Rotten Scoundrels and Catch Me If You
Can, it is evident that these are the roles the Butz was meant to create.
His brilliant voice and performance is as bright as the countless daffodils
that cover the stage at the end of Act 1. He makes you laugh, cry and cheer for
him as he and the rest of characters discover his inner-goodness through his
series of mythical flashbacks. Kate Baldwin, who plays his loving wife Sandra
compliments Mr.Butzs’ performance nicely while still getting her moment in the
sun with the heartbreaking number “I Don’t Need a Roof” as she says goodbye to
her husband on his deathbed. Rising Broadway star Bobby Steggert does his
absolute best in the only major flaw in the show in the under developed role of
Will, Edwards only child who even in adulthood refuses to play into his fathers
far-fetched world of stories.
While the storyline is fun and emotion
filled-seriously get your Kleenexes ready, it is one that you are going to have
to invest the two and a half hours in to watch and listen. It is not like The Lion King where you can tune out for
a little bit and easily find your way back into the story. It is more like a Wicked or Rent in which you cannot leave the story as it can be tough to find
your way back in, but once you get sucked in after the introductory twenty
minute hump you can barely look away and your heart sinks to your stomach once the
final curtain goes down cause you don’t want it to end.
While the show is an invest in time-it brings on onion-chopping induced tears, it proves to be endearing for adults
and bright and easy enough for the kiddies to sit through while loosely grasping
the plotline. However, it is the stories effect that is lasting. As Edward
Bloom says to young Will “When you teach a man to fish you feed them for the
rest of their life, but you teach a man the Alabama stomp you feed their soul.”
That is what Big Fish does-it feeds
the soul.
