I saw the show tonight and thought it was pretty so-so. Most of my sentiments echo those that have already been stated on here ad nausem (mainly that the show is over-directed to death and only two or three of the melodies are really memorable).
The book is fine, if a bit rote and lacking in humor, especially for a story with such thrilling, larger-than-life premises and stories. The score has some really lovely lyrics, but 80% of the melodies are banal and generic-sounding. Only "Time Stops" and "Fight The Dragons" really stuck in my head. Each song, however, is delivered to absolute vocal perfection by the cast.
This is one of Norbert Leo Butz's stronger leading man performances in my book. The role seems almost unbelievably perfect for him and without his charm, warmth, and energy, the part could easily become cloying. Every bit his equal are Kate Baldwin and Bobby Steggert, even if I wished they had more to do. Their respective solos are vocal highlights. Everyone else is strong, giving their all, many doubling, tripling, quadrulping, or more in their roles.
Stroman's direction is manic. There is
so much going on at any given moment that it's incredibly distracting, unnecessary, and way too busy. Do we really need to have ensemble members walk across the stage for no reason in almost every scene (hospital/nurses, wedding/guests, park/joggers, circus/performers, etc, etc)? I think the woman is capable of creating genius onstage, and I wish she would have taken it down a few notches here. There are some great and creative visual moments (I loved the elephants...clever, funny, and well-suited to the off-beat story. That moment even got applause from the audience.)
I also thought the projections were far too frequent. I was in the second row, so maybe I didn't get the full effect, but they just looked silly and a bit cheap after a certain point to me. I don't mind projections if they're done well, used in the right places, and aren't overwhelming. And while these aren't crappy to look at, there was just too much of them for my taste.
For a show with such wild and wackily inventive stories and characters, I couldn't help but shake the feeling that BIG FISH feels too safe, too unsurprising, and not magical enough. But it does benefit from a great cast, it's mostly nice to look at, and I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't choked up at the end. I'd also be lying if I said I wasn't frequently bored.
After seeing the show, it doesn't seem like they're doing much to it during the preview period. Campfire girl is still there, the awkward western number is still there, the jogger/park people are still there, the witch song is still there, etc. It seems (more or less) untouched and unchanged.
Next to the two other new musicals that have opened so far this season though, BIG FISH looks like WEST SIDE STORY.
Updated On: 10/3/13 at 12:52 AM
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