Imagine that you are sitting in the theater and the curtains finally rise to start the show. Along with the light, sound and performance, all the actors and actresses take you on a journey about a father and his son in Alabama.

This January, the Faith Lutheran Conservatory of the Fine Arts performed the famous musical Big Fish that was adapted by the novel Big Fish written by Daniel Wallace in 1998. The story begins with a conservation between father and son in the bedroom. The father, Edward Bloom (Jackson Langford) liked to tell his son William Bloom (Matthew D’Arrigo) about his experience of being a salesman in Alabama when he was young. In Alabama, one of the exciting parts of Edward’s journey in life was meeting an old witch (Storey Pascal) who told him his future, a strong giant (Scott O’Brien), and a mermaid (Maddie Milledge). However, Will grew up not believing a word his father said, and he left his home, and eventually got married to a news reporter from New York (Molly Shaw). Suddenly one day, William received a call from his mother, informing him that his father has cancer. Will leaves New York, and travels back home, where his father told all his stories to Will again. At this time, Will listened with patience and he tried to understand his father.

My favorite part was when Edward told his stories to his son, and that he met a witch in Alabama who could predict his future. The actress Storey Pascal did a really great job, as she wore a very witchy black dress and her performance was utterly mesmerizing. She cackled like a raven and her hair was in a Southern Goth style. Mr. Erik Ball, the director of Big Fish explains why this musical was challenging.

“It was a very challenging piece and allowed for great skill set and growth for the cast and crew. This musical stretches beyond the normal boundaries of musical theatre demands,” said Ball, “This one required a great deal of thought, time and effort. From dialect coaching to tapping into sensitive emotions, this musical required actors to maintain forward momentum in rehearsals.”

Senior Emily Tam, who is also the stage manager, explained her favorite part of the show.

“I enjoy the end, when the son and father are together in the hospital bed and the son starts to tell a story. Also, I enjoy the second to last song ‘What’s Next’. We started to prepare Big Fish at the same time when school began. This one is so different because it’s much more serious than others we did before”.

Overall, come and watch the show, enjoy the fantasy and sensitive emotion, and escape reality for two hours. The show is this Friday and Saturday at 7 PM, and this Sunday at 4 PM.