Spring has sprung and there’s no better way to celebrate than going to watch a show with blue skies and daffodils on the logo! Big Fish by the Waveney Light Opera Group (WLOG) is their latest production at Beccles Public Hall and Theatre. We very much enjoyed their excellent production of Calendar Girls last year, which had a lot of heart!
Big Fish has a book by John August with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa. It is based on a novel by Daniel Wallace, and a critically acclaimed movie by the great Tim Burton. The story follows Edward Bloom whose whimsical stories captivate everyone around him, including his wife, Sandra. His son, Will, wants to uncover the truth behind these larger than life stories as he gets older, and soon to become a father himself.
This show is incredibly heartfelt, really emphasising the importance of family relationships and in general how we can impact other people. The storyline follows the present Edward Bloom, and his son, Will, as he questions the truth of his father’s stories. There is also a flashback portion of the show as we follow young Edward Bloom on his adventures and as he starts a family. This worked well, and the past segments filled in the pieces of the puzzle for the present one nicely.
The show is directed by Charlie Collins who does a fantastic job bringing some complex material to the stage. The music accompanying this story uses a mixture of country tunes and power ballads as we follow our leads through the story. The songs were terrific, with highlights being “Daffodils” and “Fight the Dragons” to name just two. The show takes us to a lot of different locations, with a screen being used in the middle, a small bedroom to the left, and a board to the right letting the audience know where we are. Additional set was also sometimes brought in. This and the lighting were effective in tracking Edward’s adventures!
The ensemble cast play diverse roles in this show, from a giant, to a mermaid, to a circus ringleader. You can tell they had a lot of fun with different voices and making the characters their own! While this isn’t exactly a dance heavy show, the choreography made good use of the ensemble cast.
Will Bloom is portrayed by Rob Land, and had to tap into a lot of emotions as he grapples confusion at his dad’s past, anger at his dad’s apparent lack of transparency, and melancholy feelings towards the end. He had a lot of complex songs to navigate throughout the show as well!
Edward Bloom as his older self is portrayed by Ian Cook, and the character is someone clearly with a colourful past and we as an audience wanted to know more. His vocals were strong with “How It Ends” being a powerful moment. He had fantastic chemistry with Sam Fennelly who portrayed Sandra Bloom. Fennelly has a lot of ground to cover in this show playing both younger and older iterations of the character. Her rendition of “I Don’t Need a Roof” was terrific and Fennelly’s vocals were great throughout the show.
Younger Edward Bloom is portrayed by Dominic Willowbrook, who oozes charisma, charm, and energy on stage. He nails the Alabama accent and gives the character so much heart as he befriends whimsical characters from his stories. I was with him along that journey to get himself out there! His duet with Fennelly for “Time Stops” was one of the best numbers in the show!
This show was a pleasure to watch, and is a great night out. The cast and crew have clearly put a lot of care and heart into it! Thank you to the Waveney Light Opera Group for providing us with complimentary tickets for this production. Big Fish is performing from 21 to 25 April. Book your tickets now!
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