BIG FISH Reviews- Page 3

[ACL2006]

Posted: 10/8/13 at 12:05pm

The night I saw it, word-of-mouth seemed very strong, too. I think this show can will survive at least a year, if not a little longer.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 10/8/13 at 1:25pm

"Bobby Steggert has been seriously ill for the past few weeks."

Not being melodramatic. Only referring to the words Bobby used to me. I think he added, "It's taking everything I have to get through a performance." To me, that's serious.

[jdrye222]

Posted: 10/8/13 at 11:29pm

I'm just glad that reviewers called out the wretched score that destroyed any chance this had. Lippa let down all his collaborators with lazy barely competent songs. He singlehandedly took this show down.

[PJPan]

Posted: 10/9/13 at 10:16am

Saw it last night, and in a word - "Meh."

The show was very pretty to look at, but I felt suffered from an overreliance on the projections.

NLB was perfectly fine - something I like about him is that he always seems to be having a damn good time on stage. It was my first show seeing Kate Baldwin and Bobby Steggert, and while Baldwin didn't really ring with me until "I Don't Need a Roof" in Act 2, Steggert never really caught on. Stilted physicality during his songs and (if he is sick, then he's sick, but...) his voice didn't come to life until the final reprise.

The score was, sadly, forgettable. I could hum 2, maybe 3 if I tried, songs from a fairly lackluster Lippa outing. John August's book retained some of my favorite lines from the movie and I longed for the scenes in between songs to last longer. Act 2 picked up the pace and brought some new life into it. (The very end after the curtain call may have been one of my favorite moments, and I'm not sure if that's good or bad)

All in all, not the worst show I've seen in the last few years (I'm looking at you, Scandalous), but it was a very average show that I don't think I would recommend.

[AndrewAndrew]

Posted: 10/9/13 at 1:51pm

Broadway's latest musical spectacular, Big Fish, is a screen-to-stage transfer of the 2003 film based on the 1998 novel of the same name. The plot centers around the conflict between a tall tail telling father and his skeptical son. Is Big Fish a "catch" or should it be thrown back find out in our full review!
Click For Video Review of BIG FISH

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 10/9/13 at 3:45pm

Wow. Norbert lost his voice mid show today and Ben Crawford is taking over for the 2nd act of the matinee. I remember Ben from some review I saw him in...although I can't remember what it was. Oh wait, I think it was a Ryan Scott Oliver production...

My daughter is there this afternoon...





Updated On: 10/9/13 at 03:45 PM

[AndrewAndrew]

Posted: 10/9/13 at 3:53pm

Can't imagine the show sans Norbert ... interested to hear how Ben Crawford does...

[ACL2006]

Posted: 10/9/13 at 4:05pm

I would imagine he'll do the show tonight as well.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/9/13 at 4:26pm

Ben Crawford is insanely talented; I'm sure he'll be wonderful! Hope we get to hear a report or two.

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 10/9/13 at 5:23pm

Yes I got a mini report. There was a ridiculously long intermission to give Ben a chance to change from being the "bad guy" in the first act to being the lead in the second. My daughter thought he did an amazing job without even one rehearsal. She was impressed by both leads of course.....and felt the audience was really on Ben's side knowing what happened.

Ben is also going tonight also because the people she knew in the show and hoped to see after the show (Ben included, as she has worked with him previously) were not available between shows because they are "in rehearsal".

In general she enjoyed the show more than she thought she would = after reading so many neg reviews. But I didn't get any details - she was on the run.



Updated On: 10/9/13 at 05:23 PM

[ACL2006]

Posted: 10/9/13 at 11:33pm

yep, Crawford was indeed on again and Preston Truman Boyd went on as Don Price, making his broadway debut.

[suttonfoster]

Posted: 10/9/13 at 11:48pm

Saw Crawford tonight. He was a STAR. Literally, so amazing. Congrats to him.

[getatme]

Posted: 10/9/13 at 11:54pm

I was there tonight as well and was beyond blown away by Ben's performance. Before going on this afternoon, he'd apparently run basically everything just never done everything altogether or had a put in. You couldn't tell. He seemed 100% sure and confident of everything he was doing and I didn't notice any obvious mistakes. Really, really incredible.

[indytallguy]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 8:50am

"Big Fish is a Big Flop" according to today's WSJ review by Terry Teachout. He really, really didn't like it.


WSJ Big Fish Review Updated On: 10/11/13 at 08:50 AM

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 10:22am

I know a lot of people who REALLY LOVED it and another bunch that did NOT..and some in between. I don't think I ever remember a show with reviews so all over the place.

[matineeidol2591]

Posted: 10/11/13 at 10:45am

Also saw Big Fish yesterday evening. Thought it was a bloated mess. Can't quite put my finger on one sole issue, but my biggest problem with the piece was its very confusing structure. And I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere else on the boards, but am I the only person who was so confused by the hospital scene where WIll begins to tell his own story/Edwards death sequence? I have never seen the film before, but the friend with me last night had, and she had to explain the ending to me based on what she knows from the film.

On a positive note, Ben Crawford was on fire last night. A very fine, robust, and incredibly well sung performance.

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 10/26/13 at 6:54pm

I finally saw it. I felt Meh about the whole thing. I am not anti-Andrew Lippa in general as some here but this is probably my least fav work he has done. The fact that the lead doesn't really have one blow out song is sad.

I don't think this is the show for Susan Strohman either...she just didn't get it the right way and the show was all over the place. Plus it was too Strohman - during the cowboy number, I thought I was watching The Shipoopi from The Music Man. For such a serious subject, it was just overly light at times..and then the mood changed without much consistency or reason. The plot had a lot of holes.

I thought that today Bobby S was fantastic, Kate and Norbert were good acting wise but both were a little off in the vocal area...maybe still fighting health issues. I would have liked to hear the little boy sing more in his role - he had a nice little voice but his one line of singing.

Some of the effects were amazing..and were great to look at but the effects should enhance the show, not be more interesting that than the show.

I just felt it was kinda empty. The performances held it together...and were the highlight for me.

[sephyr]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 1:39am

I saw the show a couple of weeks ago and really liked it. It struck a chord in me and many people who were sitting around me. I don't know why I got emotional but it was awesome to me. I liked the songs more and more as it went on, the 2nd act had some really great songs. Norbert was fantastic and so was Kate and the rest of the cast. The ensemble was awesome. I would like to see it again soon.