The one that almost got away

With 13 characters and eight dance/ensemble players, director Shaunna Jones’ production of Big Fish, which opened last week (Nov. 5), is the largest production yet staged at Theatre on the Ridge, making it a fitting challenge to cap the Paradise theater’s 40th season. It is also writer John August’s second adaptation of Daniel Wallace’s 1998 novel, as he also wrote the script for Tim Burton’s 2003 movie of the same name. The theatrical version is a musical extravaganza featuring 21 songs with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, who also composed music for You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and the Broadway production of The Addams Family.

In other words, it’s a real whopper of a production.

The big fish of the title is Edward Bloom (Christopher Jones), a traveling salesman now dying of cancer, whose life away from home and as a teller of self-glorifying tall tales has estranged him from his newspaper reporter son, Will (Brandon Larson). Bloom Sr. has spent his life on the road, always returning home to his adoring wife, Sandra (Judi Souza), and son with amazing tales of his adventures and encounters. As he sings in the play’s opening song, from his point of view, one must always “Be the Hero” of one’s own story. It’s Will’s dawning doubt of his father’s actual heroic nature, and Edward’s need to hold on to his (perhaps) imaginary past exploits that drive the conflict and tension of the story.

Edward grew up a small-town kid who couldn’t be satisfied with a small-town life. A humble football hero whose production-number encounter with a local fortune-telling witch (Leslie Amani) gives him the confidence to live his life fearlessly because he knows when, where and how he will die.

Woven into Edward’s fanciful tales and memories, the story of his actual meeting and genuine romance with his wife emerges complete with a running away to join the circus twist featuring a benevolent werewolf ringmaster (Don Converse). In flashback, young Will (Luciano Castaldo) enjoys and believes his father’s stories, but as a grown man about to start his own family he is driven to find out the truth about his dad’s myth-enshrouded past.

The mixing of myth, lies and actuality can get a bit confusing. Edward’s encounter with a river-dwelling mermaid is given a lot of implied significance, but not enough background or dialogue to tie her into the story as seen on stage. Likewise, the subplot of Edward’s encounter with the harmless and alienated accounting-whiz giant Karl (William Petree), from whom he “saves” his hometown of Ashton, Ala., is amusing but seems tacked in only to provide an easy out for saving the town a second time when it’s about to be flooded by a dam construction project.

The full title of the original novel, Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions, gives a clue to both the appeal of the story and a hint about why aspiring to turn it into a musical play might be a daunting challenge. The story is too big and fragmented, and its multiple-viewpoint narrative too complex to be captured and conveyed in even three hours of song and dance.

Making the courageous attempt to do so is certainly worthy of appreciation and applause, and the Paradise production, despite a few off-key moments, has many more moments of genuine thrills, laughter and sentiment that make the trip worthwhile. But for some, this Big Fish might throw the hook or break the line before being landed.