Lyric Arts is opening
their exciting 2025-2026 season with yet another regional premiere musical -
Big Fish, an adaptation of the 2003 Tim Burton film and 1998 novel. While the musical only ran for a few months on Broadway in 2013, earning zero Tony nominations, it seems to have sort of a cult following, and I can see why. It's a big-hearted feel-good story about parents and children, and what happens when children grow up and realize they don't know their parents as well as they thought they did. And there are a bunch of fantasy sequences that allow for fun little stories within the story. Lyric Arts has assembled a talented cast who are putting their whole hearts into the show, with some charming effects to create the fantasy sequences.
See it on their Main Street Anoka stage now through September 28.
For those of you unfamiliar with the musical, movie, or book, as I was, Big Fish is about a man named Edward Bloom who loves to tell stories. Specifically, exaggerated stories about his life that, like fish tales, get wilder and more unbelievable the more he tells them. Our story takes place in two timelines: when Edward's son Will is a child and a recipient of these stories, when all he really wants is a dad who will show up to his soccer game, and when Will is an adult getting married and having a son of his own, while Edward faces a health crisis. In this later timeline, Will realizes all he knows of his dad are these seemingly fictitious stories, and is determined to learn the truth about his dad while there's still time. In both timelines, Edward tells stories, and his fantastical stories come to life on stage, full of witches, mermaids, giants, and heroes. In the end, Will realizes that his dad's stories, if not factually true, told him everything he needed to know about his dad, and about how to live a good life.
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Eward (Ben Bakken) and Sandra (Kate Beahen) fall in love
amidst a shower of daffodils (photo by Molly Jay) |
Lyric's Resident Director Scott Ford directs the piece, nicely balancing the grounded relationships with the wild fantasy scenes. The fantastic cast is led by #TCTheater favorite Ben Bakken as Edward, making his debut on the Lyric Arts stage. He's every bit the charming storyteller, but showing real heart and vulnerability in Edward's later years, with a strong voice full of emotion. Ben is well-matched in Kate Beahen in the supporting role of Edward's wife Sandra, I believe the first time these two powerhouses have worked together, and they're a fabulous pair. They sound gorgeous together, and have a believable chemistry both as the love-at-first-sight couple and the long-time marrieds. Kate is pitch perfect as the warm and supportive wife and mother, who is no pushover. Making what appears to be his #TCTheater professional debut is Will Gasper as (fittingly) Will, with a lovely voice and earnest demeanor. I saw Kaden Hesser as the child version of Will (alternating in the role with Jonah Dale Matias Anderson), ably keeping up with the pros in this game of make-believe. Everyone else in this large and talented ensemble plays multiple characters, both human and otherwise.
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Eward (Ben Bakken) surrounded by the characters
from his stories (photo by Molly Jay) |
The set is a blank canvas of weathered wooden planks, with large barn doors that open to reveal projections of all the different places the story goes. Little doors and openings in the back wall are cleverly used to further the location differentiation. The wide-ranging costume design includes modern casual chic, high school from some past era, army gear, Western wear, and many fantastical creatures. Edward's stories really feel like an excuse for a performance of a different style, and Lyric Arts goes all out for each one, with some fun big group dance numbers. The score also seems to cover a range of styles and eras, with some moving ballads, and is played well by the 11-piece orchestra led by Music Director Wesley Frye. (Scenic design by Curtis Phillips, projection design by Brady Whitcomb, costume design by Samantha Fromm Haddow, and choreography by Hannah Weinberg-Goerger.)
