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| Nicholas Hambruch as Edward Bloom and Addison Bowman as Sandra Bloom photo courtesy Brelby Theatre Company |
Big Fish was a novel from Daniel Wallace that was turned into a Tim Burton movie and then became a musical from Andrew Lippa and John August. But the musical didn't run long on Broadway in 2013 so while unique, it isn't that well known. Opening this Friday at Brelby Theatre Company in Glendale presents an intimate production of this heartwarming tale.
Shelby Maticic, the director of Brelby's production, describes the story of Big Fish as “It’s about a father and son who are reconciling their troubled relationship as the father is battling stage four cancer. The father is a storyteller and his son Will has grown up not knowing what is real and what isn’t real about the stories that his father has told him about his own life. And so he decides to track all the stories with his new wife and piece it together and figure out who his father is before he loses him.”
Big Fish is a story of adventure, love, and family. As Will dives into all of his father's stories, the audience gets to follow and enjoy the magic of the journey. Brelby sits 65 people, so it is an intimate venue where the audience can forget about life for a while and watch Will’s journey with his father Edward.
Maticic had a number of reasons why she wanted to direct this musical and include it in Brelby’s 2019 season.
“I feel like I have a very close connection with the story. I lost my own Dad to cancer when I was in my 20s and so I definitely connect with a lot of the experiences that Will and his mother Sandra go through. You really do sort of see these different stages of the grieving process for each character in the show. We really strive to do stuff that isn’t really being seen in other venues around the valley. Big Fish is not as popular. And when I found that there was another version of the musical which is called the 'twelve chair version' it solidified doing this production for me because it is cut perfectly for a venue of our size. I wanted something a little more intimate, something with some name recognition and something that was a little different. It ticked off all the boxes I wanted.”
Maticic and her husband Brian believe that Big Fish is relatable to all audiences, and they are thrilled to be presenting this production. And, if you've seen this musical before, the reduced cast version is something that adds another dimension to the show, for both the audience and the actors.
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| Shelby Maticic photo courtesy Brelby Theatre Company |
Maticic expressed many times that she loves this musical so much. “Big Fish has characters that everyone can relate to and I think that as a result, people within any size community can find their story there,” she explained, “and they can find maybe glimpses of their own experiences with their family members. I think that the story is about family and stories that are rooted in truth will always find an audience.”
According to Maticic, the music in the show is quite addictive and will often stay with everyone even after they leave rehearsal. “The music is beautiful and the songs are incredibly catchy they get stuck in our heads. We will all message each other after and ask which song is stuck in your head this morning?” Maticic laughed.
Brian and Shelby Maticic have a special community in Glendale with an adorable backstory. Brelby Theatre is run by the couple, college sweethearts who had a bowling nickname smashing their two names together creating ‘Brelby’. Now the Brelby Theatre Company has grown into a successful independent theater in the West Valley. With Big Fish, audiences will be able to journey with Will through his father’s whimsical stories and just leave their own troubles behind.
“Visually it is a really stunning show,” Maticic said. “There are a lot of fun and vibrant fantasy worlds that are created throughout the script. I think people are going to enjoy being swept up in it for a performance. Sometimes it’s a little stressed out there and it’s nice to be able to escape to a theatre to hear somebody else's story for a while and not think about your own troubles.”
When she was asked what she hopes audiences will take away after seeing this show she smiled. “I hope audiences go home and call their parents,” Maticic expressed. “Or any family member that maybe you sometimes struggle to see eye to eye with. I think one of the important takeaways from the show is that it is so easy to think that you don’t have anything in common with someone but if you take the time to sit down and really listen. There are reasons to connect with one another.”
CLICK HERE for more information on Big Fish at Brelby Theatre Company, which runs February 22-March 10
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