Reviews: Big Fish School Edition at TJHSST
Written by Alison Nienaber of Bishop Ireton
Thomas Jefferson High School of Science and Technology made a splash with their production of Big Fish School Edition! The stage lit up with grand numbers, tall tales, and of course, an enormous catfish.
Adapted from the 2003 Tim Burton film of the same name and the 1998 Daniel Wallace novel Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions, the story was adapted into a musical by John August with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa. It premiered in Chicago in 2013, making its Broadway debut later that year. The plot follows Edward Bloom, a traveling salesman, and the fantastical stories he tells his son Will about his life. As Will catalogues his father's tales, from making friends with a giant to meeting his mother, Sandra, he grapples with reconciling his father's stories and reality. Throughout the narrative, Edward attempts to make peace with both his son and his impending death.
Nathan Thomas was incredibly compelling as Edward Bloom. Thomas was consistent in his portrayal of Edward's spirited and upbeat attitude, not only in his youth, but also as it blended with Edward's more resigned and often feeble nature as he aged. Thomas shone in his ability to build relationships with others onstage, particularly Sandra (Gabby Licayan) and Will (Prajeet Chitty). Thomas and Chitty were passionate in conveying their characters' struggles with each other. This dynamic was perfectly captured in "This River Between Us," helped along by the lighting team's (Ella Clarke, Anthony Drozd, Charles Bucher, Nikhil Vattathara) choice of blue lights, signifying both the water and the deep sadness found in the lyrics, and only made more impactful by their flickering with the bass.
Gabby Licayan was impeccable as Sandra Bloom. She mediated between Will and Edward with grace and demonstrated the true love her character has for Edward with her facial expressions and charged vocals in "Magic in the Man" and "I Don't Need a Roof." The latter illustrated both Licayan and Thomas's skill, from their fervent grasping onto the other as their characters wept until the very end, where Sandra helps Edward stagger offstage. Licayan performed a broad range of emotions, showcasing the heights of hope and optimism Sandra could climb, but also the groveling and lamenting she could fall to.
Building the world of Big Fish from behind the scenes was the sound effects. They engulfed the audience in each scene, and truly built the world of Big Fish, including its exaggerations. From the sound of rocks skipping on water in the opening scene to the heavy rainfall mimicked in "This River Between Us," Dylan Truncellito, Charles Bucher, Toan Do, and the TJTA Sound Team were brilliant in conceptualization and precise in execution. Also contributing to the show's atmosphere were the special effects (Toan Do, Charles Bucher, Anthony Drozd, Zoe Viterbo). This team's work was clever, employing fog to represent the unknown, whether it be regarding the witch's prophecy or Will's interpretation of his father. They also created cohesiveness throughout the storyline with projections of the names of Edward's tales on either side of the proscenium curtain.
A timeless tale both energetic and emotional, Big Fish is a piece full of deep themes, and Thomas Jefferson High School of Science and Technology presented it with understanding. A true feat of performance art, this show utilized emotional awareness and technological effects masterfully.
Written by Rachel Rivera of Oakton High School
In a world where the longer a story is spun, the taller it grows, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology's production of Big Fish: School Edition proved that the biggest fish in the smallest pond can sometimes make the most tremendous splash. With enchanting magic, emotional resonance, and technical sophistication, TJHSST's production navigated the shores of fantasy and cozy reality with a poise befitting its fantastical origins.
Big Fish, based on the Daniel Wallace book and the Tim Burton film, first leaped onto Broadway in 2013, uniting Andrew Lippa's soaring score with John August's clever book. The musical is about Edward Bloom, a charming tall-tale teller, and his son Will, who is attempting to establish the facts behind his father's larger-than-life life before they get away from him.
At the heart of TJ's production was the touching relationship between Edward (Nathan Thomas) and Will Bloom (Prajeet Chitty), brought to life with commendable vitality. While Thomas's boisterous persona energized the show's larger-than-life moments, it was Chitty's Will Bloom, portrayed with remarkable sensitivity, who anchored the emotional current. Chitty's vocal performance was especially notable; his voice carried a compelling emotional depth and power, threading earnestness into every note. In "The River Between Us," his stirring, powerful tone conveyed a quiet desperation that tugged at the heartstrings without ever crossing into melodrama.
Similarly, Sandra Bloom (Gabby Licayan) was the emotional center of the show. Her performance, particularly in the number "I Don't Need a Roof," was a lesson in subtlety and truth. With a clear, touching voice and eyes that brimmed with unspoken emotion, Licayan caught the audience in a moment of crystalline vulnerability. Her ability to express sorrow, strength, and unshakeable love produced some of the evening's most breathtaking sounds and silences.
The ensemble, too, deserves hearty applause for infusing the stage with buoyant energy and body. The Ashton Townspeople as a whole rendered all ensemble scenes a flurry of activity of small-town existence and made Edward Bloom's anecdotal tales world-rich and richly lived. Their concern for character and physicality added gravity and warmth to the magical elements.
Most astounding, though, was the technical competence which underpinned the production as a whole. The technical crew of TJHSST demonstrated revolutionary inventiveness, most strikingly in the creation of a student-constructed elevator seamlessly incorporated into the set piece. Lights led by Ella Clarke and Anthony Drozd, and sound, led by Toan Do, Charles Bucher, and Dylan Truncellito, blended together as fluid as flooding, with cues falling into place at exactly the right moments to contribute to the feeling of immersion and emotional flow. These technical touches allowed the audience to lose themselves in Edward's world, where reality and fantasy wove together effortlessly.
Thomas Jefferson High School's Big Fish: School Edition was a heartfelt journey through the power of storytelling, masterfully executed with sincerity, creativity, and a dash of wonder. Like the best tall tales, it left the audience believing that, with enough love and imagination, even the most ordinary life can become something extraordinary.