Big Fish Preview Thread- Page 4

[Libby1209]

Posted: 9/8/13 at 1:21pm

I saw the matinee yesterday as well...and really enjoyed it. Norbert was great IMO, but then again I'd probably pay to hear him sing the phone book.

There are only two issues I had with the show, and they were small...the sheet, and the "campfire girl" (as I like to call her) both seemed out of place, to me.

I'm curious to hear if any changes are made in the coming weeks...



Updated On: 9/8/13 at 01:21 PM

[macnyc]

Posted: 9/8/13 at 2:13pm

The campfire girl got a laugh from the audience at the show I attended! I actually thought it was clever.

[Libby1209]

Posted: 9/8/13 at 4:43pm

Maybe "out of place" was not the best phrasing. I thought it was cheesy (and not in a good way). And the sheet...really pointless, if you ask me. If they want to use it, they need to make it look like a pool. (In the movie, Edward had a pool in his backyard, and would often be found in it.)

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 9/8/13 at 8:11pm

The campfire girl got a laugh from the audience at the show I attended!

Oh God, they kept that?!?! We laughed too, but not for the right reason. Out of sheer confusion. How on earth does it tie into anything else in the show? Is she a renegade Witchette?

[Kad]

Posted: 9/8/13 at 8:20pm

Wait, that existed in Chicago, too?!

God, at the first preview, it was so awkward. My boyfriend thought she was there as a temporary insertion to stall a bit for time. I didn't mind so much that she was using her dress as a campfire, but the subsequent dance solo was ridiculous. I can't imagine a world in which that isn't cut.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 9/8/13 at 8:38pm

I'm not familiar with the source material for BIG FISH and am wondering if the show is age appropriate for an 8 year old.

Thanks for your input.

[theaternut]

Posted: 9/8/13 at 8:39pm

My guess is she would be bored? I have not seen the show.

[inlovewithjerryherman]

Posted: 9/8/13 at 11:50pm

OMG ARE YOU KIDDING?

CAMPFIRE GIRL IS STILL THERE?

Ok, this is really starting to bug me. Literally every moment that didn't work in Chicago is STILL there...wtf?

PS:
Dollypop, I don't think there is anything that would be considered inappropriate for an 8 yr old, maybe some cursing...but i doubt an 8-yr old would have the resolve to sit through the show, which is long, and more contemplative and introspective than you'd expect.

[Pippin]

Posted: 9/8/13 at 11:55pm

Campfire girl got applause on the first preview. I Loved it and thought it was brilliant on the part of William Ivey Long.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 9/9/13 at 12:09am

I thought the Campfire Girl was fine as the fire, but the dance was too much. I assumed she only is doing that dance to cover a set change. Otherwise, what's the point?

[jaxandmci]

Posted: 9/9/13 at 11:52am

I saw Big Fish when it was initially released in theaters and found it to be an incredibly moving and emotional movie that has stuck with me through the years. I was hoping that this musical theater version would provide the same emotional wallop but sadly, it did not.

The version I saw Saturday evening belongs to Edward Bloom and while Butz is an incredibly talented actor, I felt he monopolized the show and left me wanting more of Baldwin and Steggert. It’s an extremely busy production (nearly dizzyingly so) and the story really suits itself well to a big Broadway musical, in the same way that A Christmas Story does with its fantasy sequences played out as big musical numbers. Except that A Christmas Story weaves them into the story much more easily—and smartly.

The show does run long and could benefit from some cuts during its preview period but my big complaint is that the final scene—which lays a heart-wrenching series of revelations on Will—is the one that August decided to condense—to the determent of the entire show. It is quite rushed and I really don’t think the audience has the opportunity to get inside Will’s head as the realizations unfold.

The sets are fun and some are quite inventive. The costumes are numerous and from the front row, one can see they are exquisitely designed—although nothing less is expected from William Ivey Long. The score is mostly generic and unmemorable, and while Time Stops and Daffodils were memorable numbers, I can’t for the life of me recall either tune. The reveal of the orchestra, however, was one of the biggest highlights of the show for me and they really did sound big and wonderful.

I just wish August would have taken his time with the ending and turned the audience into a collection of emotional wrecks like the movie did. Without that, I left disappointed. Not because it was bad but because it could have been so much better.

7/10 for Big Fish. I had seen The Glass Menagerie earlier in the day and found that disappointing as well--as I reported in its preview thread.

[Younger Brother]

Posted: 9/9/13 at 1:21pm

So if the Central Park scene takes place when Will finds out he's having a baby..is the living in Paris plot line dropped? Is Josephine still French? Or have I mis understood something?

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 9/9/13 at 1:28pm

Josephine is no longer French. They are reporters and they met somewhere in the Middle East IIRC.

Now Will is a writer for the NY Times and that's why they're living in New York.

[theatregeek6]

Posted: 9/9/13 at 7:19pm

Saw the show last night-brief thoughts:

Overall it look good - the production values are strong, costumes are great, and I thought the projections worked well. I don't get the applause (although only a smattering of applause) for the dafodils, and quite frankly it seems like something is 'off' in the finish (mayble it was lit too brightly? not sure) to act 1.

The 1st act was pretty tight - there are still some pacing issues. Act 2 was also clean, but could have been a few minutes shorter. Let out at 10:49 (although we started a few minutes late). The 'story' scenes blend in well-it doens't feel stilted or forced - lthough as someone posted, not as seemlessly as in A Christmas Story.

The show belongs to Norbert, and he toned downed his usual manic performance to just energetic-which i thought suited the character well. His voice is just incredible - no matter how many times I see him perform. I wish Steggart and Baldwin had more to do-they are such great talents and are underused. That being said - I don't think their characters need more to do - the balance is right.

I didn't get the campfire girl's dance. at. all. If it is covering a scene change-find another way. It brought laughter (again) from the audience.

I thought the ending was pretty emotional and saw quite a few people in tears.


Updated On: 9/10/13 at 07:19 PM

[gleek4114]

Posted: 9/10/13 at 7:59pm

I am looking at trying to get student discount tickets for the matinee on Saturday the 21st. Are the lines long? And what seat are usually left/offered to students?

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 9/10/13 at 8:09pm

I just saw grosses for this and it says that it played to 101% capacity last week. Huh???? Is this just due to the fact that it is new and the curiosity factor? I never imagined that this one was going to be a sold out smash.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 9/10/13 at 11:21pm

Yes, and the fact that it's the first "big musical" of the season to open. Most things start off strongly, but we'll see if it can survive once other shows start opening, and the reviews, etc.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 9/10/13 at 11:48pm

Matt, they just did a really good job papering the house. It played to 101% capacity, but only 57% gross potential, so there were a fair amount of comps; it did perform a lot better than the other two musicals so far this season.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/11/13 at 12:44am

Judging from the material that wasn't cut after the tryout I think Susie Stro, might be in too deep and having issues actually "seeing" the show and what needs to be fixed. She might be suffering from a mild case of Julie Taymor syndrome.

[Kad]

Posted: 9/11/13 at 1:02am

I don't know if it's Julie Taymor syndrome so much as it is, "We have spent a lot of money on two dozen western costumes for this one song, we cannot cut it."

[Hongus]

Posted: 9/11/13 at 5:29am

sounds like I need to rush to see this, and rush to Broadway. I was not thinking of going because I felt broadway is dead but its not.

[indytallguy]

Posted: 9/11/13 at 7:27am

Yes, you should definitely rush to Broadway and rush to see a show that is still in previews and is drawing somewhat mixed reactions from those commenting on its current form. Rush. Rush. What are you waiting for?

[D2]

Posted: 9/11/13 at 7:49am

Unless he's rushing to hammer the last nail in Broadway's coffin, in which case: please don't.

[tazber]

Posted: 9/11/13 at 8:27am

I was not thinking of going because I felt broadway is dead but its not.

If I was still putting absurd quotes in my signature, this one would definitely be there.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 9/11/13 at 10:07am

While I was moved by the ending, I found the entire thing to be a messy disappointment. There is so much stage action, and it's all so busy, that you rarely know where to look. While Steggert sings his Central Park solo, there is so much business in the background, that you wind up watching the props and costumes whir by and thinking, "what wasteful spending..."

I really wanted to like it. But I don't know. I adore Stroman. I hope they can get it together. But I can't see this lasting longer than "Catch Me If You Can".