Theater Review: "Big Fish School Edition" at Pomperaug High School

By Nancy Sasso Janis

The talented students in the Pomperaug Theatre Company and Pomperaug Music Department will present the school edition of “Big Fish” this weekend on the auditorium stage on their Southbury campus. Director Madge O’Toole allowed me to get a sneak peak at the final product at one of their final rehearsals before their opening night.

“Big Fish School Edition” is set in Alabama and is based on the book by John August based on the novel by Daniel Wallace and the motion picture written by August. The music and lyrics were written by Andrew Lippa (“The Wild Party.”)

O’Toole writes in her Director’s Note that we all know a person who exaggerates “in order to turn a quick incident into an elaborate fantastic story.” In “Big Fish,” she explains that “we see the status of just this kind of person diminish in the eyes of his own son.”

"If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. Teach a man the ‘Alabama Stomp,’ you feed his soul!"

“Everything that we do in Pomperaug Theatre Company is meant to expand the boundaries of a story and reach into your hearts. We believe that the magic is in our perception. What we decide to see is what we will see.” The imagination of the students involved brought this magical world to the stage, and the adults who work with them do not infringe upon their ideas.

The supremely talented senior student Jimmy Hunter leads the cast in the role of Edward Bloom, a traveling salesman who tells tall tales. Hunter appears in what will be their final show at Pomperaug; the young actor/singer/dancer played Scarecrow in “The Wizard of Oz,” Stapleton in “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” Sky in “Mamma Mia!,” as well as Thenardier in Landmark’s “Les Miserables.” Hunter also skillfully directed the fall drama “Dancing at Lughnasa” and I predict great things for them.

Aiden Kelly brings a subtle charm to the role of Edward’s adult son Will Bloom in his final musical with PTC.

Senior Gwen Kavanaugh (Agnes in “Lughnasa”) has the perfect singing voice (“I Don't Need a Roof") and stage presence for the role of Edward’s wife Sandra, in her eighth and final PTC production.

Sophomore Stevie Bennett covers the role of the young Will in her first time acting with the PTC and junior Julia Vela (“Lughnasa”) plays the bride of Will, Josephine.

Junior Riley Powell, in his theater acting debut, is very tall with the help of stilts in the role of Karl the Giant. Maddie Parrella, a senior, plays the strange role of a ringmaster who is also a werewolf, Amos Calloway.

Henry Marks plays Don Price and senior Ramyaka Annambholta steps out of the ensemble to play The Witch in her sixth PTC production. Maille Kimble, who played Tin Man in “Wizard of Oz" and is now a senior, is the lovely Jenny Hill. Alice Sugden gets to play a beautiful mermaid in a watery enclosure in the pit area in front of stage right. Grace Mombo plays Edward’s doctor and Cate Nespoli covers both Will’s young son and a Scout. Samantha Fig moves gracefully as Red Fang and Jaiden Carter plays a dinosaur in a big costume.

O’Toole ensures that the students make use of the entire stage that features an impossibly long red curtain. Sophomore Sophia Ltaif serves as assistant director. Nicholas Napoli was the tech director with Linda Hughes as musical director. The all-student pit orchestra is led by director John Tzetzo, who gets to hold up a bunch of daffodils from the pit. Alison Savage was the vocal coach for the young singers. Although I did not know this show, I recognized “What’s Next” right away.

Hunter also was in the charge of the impressive choreography for the production and the dancers stepped up the challenging moves. The imaginative costumes were designed by Caelin Walsh and junior Rowan Vas served as both art designer and assistant stage manager. Charming hair and makeup design was done by Hannah Ali, who performed in “Baskerville.” Tesu Beavers, a sophomore, was a busy prop designer.

The lovely set pieces were built by O’Toole’s stagecraft classes. Lighting designer Eli Hornberger made sure that the students could be seen, as well as bringing the audience to the river or a forest. A few actors use flashlights as they head through the aisles. Freshman Colton Lorensen was in charge of sound design using the newly-purchased microphone system, under the guidance and training of D&T Stage. The company set up their newly purchased wireless microphones and supplemented with some company mics to run 27 mics for the show. I only missed a few of the lines when the orchestra underscored the scenes.

Shout out to Kayleigh Ecseday, who is stage manager for her last production with her high school. She has been part of every PTC production since her freshman year and she has been nominated for a whopping five HALO Awards, three for props design and two for stage management.

As is the tradition at Pomperaug, there is an entertaining peek at photos of the students during the rehearsal process, this time preceded by a video from Andrew Lippa, who indicates that his niece told him about the Pomperaug production.

The community is invited to attend the award- winning Pomperaug Theatre Company's upcoming production. Friday April 21st 2023, 7:00 pm, Saturday April 22nd 2023, 7:00 pm and Sunday April 23rd 2023, 2:00 pm Ticket Info: Adult: $15.00, Student/Senior/Staff: $10.00, Running Time: 2 hours and 25 mins including a 15-minute intermission

Tickets

Nancy Sasso Janis, writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local venues, posts well over 100 reviews each year. In 2016, her membership in the Connecticut Critics Circle began and her contributions of theatrical reviews, previews, and audition notices are posted not only in the Naugatuck Patch but also on the Patch sites closest to the venue. She recently became a contributor to the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper. Her weekly column and theatre reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the paper.

Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and Connecticut Theatre Previews and on Twitter @nancysjanis417 Check out the NEW CCC Facebook page.