If you are looking for a well done and family friendly production, Big Fish might just fit the bill. The subject matter is a bit heavy at times so bring tissues.
Typically the RoundTable likes to review performances that take place in or very close to Evanston. But those guidelines bend if there is a very strong Evanston connection. The current production at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire fits the second bill, as one of the leads in Big Fish calls Evanston home. Another major character is also from Evanston, so that doubled the incentive.
Heidi Kettenring plays the part of Sandra Bloom, the wife of the protagonist, Edward Bloom (Alexander Gemignani), an Alabamian traveling salesman with a fantastical imagination – think giants, mermaids and witch tales – a love of people and a zest for storytelling.
Edward has a complicated, often strained relationship with his grown son, Will (Michael Kurowski). Things come to a climax as Edward is facing his final chapter just as Will is facing impending fatherhood. Will the younger Bloom finally be able to understand his father before it’s too late?
Kettenring’s character is the love of Edward Bloom’s life. Her character is first introduced on stage as the mother of the groom trying to calm the nerves of her soon-to-be-married son while urging her husband to get dressed for the impending wedding.
In every scene that involves the two Bloom men, Kettenring’s character is the conduit, the one trying to placate, to explain the son to the father. It’s a role familiar to many women. It’s an important role, certainly, which she delivers faultlessly, but those scenes are not about her.
She has a lot more to work with when her scenes are of her and Gemignani when they first meet and when he is wooing her. In those scenes, you feel that blush of first love, and understand how it feels to be thunderstruck. The looks on her face and her body language, in addition to her sensational singing, communicate everything you need to know about her character and why she loves this man so intensely.
Kettenring also shines as a politely truant high school student trying to land a singing gig, along with two friends, at a circus. Their singing group, called the Alabama Lambs, is quite funny and delivers enough sass to perk up the stage.
One of the Alabama Lambs is Lucy Godinez, the second Evanstonian in Big Fish, and frankly, she goes to town with this song. It’s just not long enough for her–or for the audience.
Happily Godinez has a spectacular solo right after the opening scene. The song, “I Know What You Want,” isn’t the kind of song you’ll leave the theater singing, but watch her when she performs. She is magical, and that’s not because she is portraying a witch. Her costume (Amanda Vander Byl, costume designer) is wonderous and she commands the stage in it. For those few minutes, it’s hers as she conjures up a dark, swampy Alabamian bayou where a witch who can see the future resides. She holds up her crystal orb and lets you know who’s boss.
For those unfamiliar with this theater, it’s in the round, which means actors use the four diagonal aisles throughout the performance for entrances and exits. The ensemble cast is hard working and very effective. Everyone except Gemignani, Kettenring and Kurowski hold multiple roles.
Of particular note, Jonah D. Winston plays the Giant and Dr. Bennett, two parts that are quite different. He does a fine job with the Giant, making his character quite sympathetic.
This production is directed by Henry Godinez. The associate director and choreographer is Tommy Rapley, and the musical director is Ryan T. Nelson.
Big Fish is based on the book by John August with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, based on the novel by Daniel Wallace and the film screenplay by August. It runs at the Marriott Theatre through March 19, 2023. Tickets are available at The Marriott Theatre Box Office at 847.634.0200 or online at Tickets.MarriottTheatre.com.