by Lauren Young of South Lake High School
In an emotional story between father and son, Big Fish performed by Lake Minneola High was an outstanding view that everyone should have the chance to experience.
Edward Bloom tells tales of his extraordinary life to his son, Will, ever since he was a young boy. As his son now leads a life of his own, full of logic and reason with his own child on the way, the stories told by his father is something he wishes to hide. Kissing mermaids, meeting town witches, joining the circus, making friends with giants named Karl; things just didn’t add up statistically in Will’s mind. Although, what was hidden from Will was Edward’s declining health. With their relationship strained, the two have too many conflicts and too little time to resolve them.
Edward Bloom, portrayed by Brett Shelton, was a sight to see since he first walked on stage. With Edward’s flashbacks from being a boy, to a father of his young son, the audience could tell by his actions and the way he spoke, which version of Edward Shelton was playing on stage. Shelton’s voice was sweet with the all-around Alabama charm through his fluid words to his singing. Shelton’s portrayal of Edward Bloom hit close to home, seeing a father want nothing more but to inspire his child as he grew up to become an adult. Will Bloom, played by Connor Neun, wished nothing to do with his father’s stories. Neun gave the audience a struggling son, only wishing for the truth from his father. Neun easily showed the internal conflict he was facing for when his dear mother, Sandra Bloom (Laela Rodriguez), told him the secret his father has been hiding from him. When reviewing the stories with his newly-wed wife, Josephine (Shaynae Sheppard), she encourages him to look beyond the story Edward told and to look for the lesson, the reason his father spoke such exciting tales. “If you’d understand the stories, you’d understand the man.” She tells him, so Will self-reflects. During a flashback to one of his father’s first stories, Will sees his younger self across the stage and he ponders there. An emotional moment for Will, Neun, and the audience.
Gearing towards the technical side of Big Fish, the set was designed and produced with the sincere rustic charm of Alabama. Jennifer Hopkins and Alina Schmidt showed us Alabama from the 1980s, appreciated by all. The backing track by sound designers Alyssa Stark, Sebastian Alicea and Rodney Dudley, gave the audience a feel for the tone of the scene being performed.
Overall, Big Fish by Lake Minneola brought the audience into the story and took all their hearts. It showed them How It Ends and to Be the Hero while we still can. Whether we’re slaying dragons or kissing mermaids that taught us how to swim, Edward Bloom’s story inspired us all. Because by the end of this heart-warming performance, we have gotten the chance to understand the big fish in the small pond.
This is a Cappies review of the performance of Big Fish at Lake Minneola High School on Friday, 4/27/2018.
