[On Stage] A Different Flavor from Movies... Become the Hero of Your Own Fantasy

Musical 'Big Fish' Review

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] The first act ending of the musical 'Big Fish' is filled with yellow daffodils. It is the scene where the protagonist Edward Bloom proposes to his wife Sandra. It is as dazzlingly beautiful as the proposal scene in Tim Burton's 2003 film of the same name.

The second act ending scene, which depicts Edward's death, is even more fantastic. Edward reincarnates as a big fish, as the title suggests, swimming leisurely and drifting far away. The last line of poet Cheon Sang-byeong's 'Return to Heaven' comes to mind: "On the day I end this beautiful picnic called life / I will go and say, it was beautiful...".

Fantasy is a genre that clearly divides audience preferences due to its distinct characteristics. Big Fish is a work that fully satisfies the expectations of fantasy fans.

The play begins with young son Will Bloom waiting for his father Edward, who is on a business trip, on his bed. Shortly after, Edward appears on stage. As he tries to enter his son's room, he suddenly turns around. It is the first moment the audience faces Edward's face. His face is full of innocent smiles. He is overwhelmed with excitement and anticipation, wondering what story he will tell his son whom he has not seen for a long time. The introduction compressively expresses a father's love for his son, clearly revealing the structure of Big Fish.

Big Fish is the story of Edward, a father who teaches his son to live joyfully and excitingly by instilling dreams and imagination throughout his life, and Will, the son who once adored his father more than anyone else as a child but gradually fails to understand him as he grows up.

Musical 'Big Fish' performance scene
Photo by CJ ENM

Finally, the father hugs his son. The first story is a lie. "I secretly watched you play at the stadium. What if you got nervous because of me and missed a home run?" "It was soccer." The father is momentarily embarrassed but dodges the situation by saying, "Now soccer has home runs too."

The father is a character who constantly tells awkward and ridiculous stories whenever he opens his mouth. The son enjoyed his father's stories when he was innocent and young, but as he grew up, he gradually stopped believing his father's words. Perhaps because of his rebellion against his father, the son becomes a reporter who pursues facts rather than his father's absurd stories.

The story concludes in a conventional form where the son realizes that his father's absurd stories were not just boasting and comes to understand his father's life.

However, the value of the musical Big Fish lies in its fantasy approach to unfolding this conventional content.

Big Fish is based on the 1998 novel of the same name by American novelist Daniel Wallace. The original novel was made into a fantasy film by Tim Burton in 2003, gaining worldwide popularity. The pressure was inevitably high.

The production company CJ ENM participated as a global co-producer during the 2013 Broadway premiere in the United States. Nevertheless, it took six years to premiere in Korea. The musical Big Fish is a work that shows the producer's intention to present a fantasy charm different from the film.

Rare in domestic musicals, the bold introduction of puppets (puppets directly controlled by actors inside) effectively realizes characters such as the witch in the forest, the werewolf, the circus elephant, and Edward's giant friend Karl, who are protagonists in Edward's boastful stories.

The pinnacle of musicals using puppets is 'The Lion King,' and coincidentally, the original Lion King team visited Korea last year to perform domestically. Although not comparable to the puppets in 'The Lion King,' the puppets in 'Big Fish' seem sufficient to express the fairy-tale atmosphere the play intends to convey.

Musical 'Big Fish' performance scene [Photo by CJ ENM]

John August, the writer of the musical Big Fish, visited Korea last December to see the Korean premiere stage and watched the performance with his fourteen-year-old daughter on Christmas. At a press conference before the viewing, he described it as "a strangely fitting work for Christmas."

The stage direction of the musical Big Fish, which talks about family love and stimulates imagination, reminds one of children. Therefore, it also raises expectations as a year-end repertory performance.

The lively number 'The Hero of the Story,' which decorates the beginning and end of the play, is memorable because it reads the heart of parents. "Be the hero of your story. (omitted) When you become the hero of your story, the hero who will save the world is you. (omitted) Listen to your story. Even if the music stops, you must dance. Even if your wings are broken, ride the wind and fly. Be brave, don't be afraid, now is the time, go."

The number 'Daffodil,' which beautifully ends the first act, also lingers in the ears along with the yellow image.

Will, who comes to understand his father, will probably live a more admirable life than anyone else. After all, to him, his father was like a 'Big Rock Face.'

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.