I enjoyed the Empress Theatre's production of Daddy Long Legs so much I decided to see their latest show, Big Fish, last night. It didn't quite live up to Daddy Long Legs (which set the bar really high) but I thoroughly enjoyed it! Will Bloom (Austin Payne) has always been exasperated by all of the wild stories that his father Edward (Jeff Pashley) tells him. These include hearing his fortune told by a witch (Mya Sanchez) in a swamp, learning how to swim from a mermaid (Audrey Kocherans), befriending a giant (Owen Pashley), running away to the circus, wooing a young woman (Amber Ellington) with daffodils, and stopping the assassination attempt of a general during the war. As he is about to become a father himself, he learns that his father is dying of cancer and returns home to attempt a reconciliation with him. After a Wild West confrontation between the two of them, Will discovers that the truth about his father is even more extraordinary than the stories. The songs in this show are a lot of fun because they bring all of Edward's fantastical stories to life and I was really impressed with how well they are staged in such a small space with a very minimalistic set. My favorite numbers were "Be the Hero," "Ashton's Favorite Son," "Daffodils," and "Red, White, and True." This is a very complicated show technically with many different costume changes and multiple props moving on and off stage and I thought the transitions went very smoothly, especially so early in the run. The majority of the cast members are much better singers than actors but they are very earnest and give it their all so you can't help but be enchanted by their performances. It is a little bit quirky (all community theatre is a bit quirky) but the heartwarming story of a son trying to understand his father and a father trying to make his son proud is sure to please everyone. It runs through March 12 and tickets, which are very reasonable, can be purchased here.
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