TC, I've been following blogs on Big Fish and your comments echo what I've been reading, but sadly most of the "problems" are about the same issues in the show in Chicago, so one wonders if they are going to fix them at all.

I do have one question though. You mentioned the mezzanine is the best place to see it from, but I read that the mermaid sequence is invisible to most of the mezzanine? Was that an issue for you? We have front row mezzanine seats for the first weekend in November, so hopefully issues will be worked out by then, and I assume our sightlines will be great -- even for the mermaid. Meanwhile, I think we should rent the film, as neither of us have ever seen it.

Patrick, That is sad to hear...that issues from Chicago are still ongoing. I was hoping they would fix some.

My biggest "issue" (although it didn't impact my enjoyment) is that LNB seems to be running himself ragged in the first few scenes. He plays both the "older Ed Bloom" and the "younger Ed Bloom". In the movie those are two different actors (Albert Finney and Ewen McGregor) and I think that works better. There just isn't enough difference in the look and feel of the two characters as played by one actor to make it work the best and there are a lot of transitions in the first couple of scenes. It feels almost manic at times. However, its fantasy, so.....

In the last act, there were two or three transitions that were quite slow - making for some awkward timing. Then, just as an armchair director, I would have cast someone to play the wife who wasn't so tall. Since the character of Ed Bloom is supposed to be "bigger than life", IMHO, its odd that his wife is about 6" taller and wears heels throughout. LNB isn't very tall - but his talent is enormous. Its just my opinion that a shorter actress would have made his character appear more substantial.

After the show, my seatmates (second row Mezz B103) and I walked down to the orchestra to have a closer look at the "river" from which the mermaid appears. We all agreed (as did many others standing around) that this effect would not be nearly as good from orchestra seating. We even went so far as to sit in seats in the front row or two to compare. The effect lights were still on because many were curious about the river so we could easily see how it would have looked from closer. I also think there is another fantasy sequence (the forest) where the special effects would be a bit lost from the orchestra.

From my experience, you have wonderful seats. Please give us a review post-opening.

Cheers.

Ah, I'm not sure what I'm talking about here, except I read the same comment about height in a blog. The response from one person was that the character isn't really "bigger than life", but he tries to be -- in other words overcompensating for his smaller stature. Does that make sense?

And yes, it is rare that I don't find front row mezzanine seats the BEST for any musical. I suspect the comment about not seeing the mermaid referred to the much larger number of people further back in the mezzanine or balcony who couldn't see it at all.

That comment does make sense, Patrick. What blog do you read? I would be interested in reading it as well.

I suppose if a person sitting further back isn't paying attention, they could miss the mermaid when she first pops up. It isn't overly obvious -- as in they don't shine a spotlight on her and announce it with a fanfare. But she makes several appearances, so there are plenty of opportunities to see. My only issue with the mermaid is that her "tail" doesn't quite fit properly to her body. If it hasn't been corrected, you'll know exactly what I mean when you see it. I don't want to give away too much here.

My favorite scene is the dancing elephants. Now THAT is a brilliant effect! I think the lighting designer should win a Tony. The use of lighting to enhance the set is amazing.

Enjoy!

Broadwayworld.com and Broadway.com are two that I follow. It was probably on one of those, but there are a number of posts about Big Fish on both. I think the actual words were "the mermaid can not be seen by a large section of the mezzanine".

Maybe we should start a new thread for Fall? Big Fish is a big fall production, and I fear these comments could be lost.

Also, I saw Romeo and Juliet recently (the new production with Orlando Bloom, one of 2 new R&J productions this fall). While it is drawing a crowd of tourists and young people you don't often see at a Shakespeare production, I can't say that I was so entranced. Interesting staging, but reactions from the audience were odd (misplaced laughs), and I just didn't get drawn into the play emotionally, I'm sad to say. The bits in Shakespeare in Love had more emotional wallop for me.

Doug, Can you start a new post and move the Big Fish info to it, or reference this post some how?

Thanks

Yes, Doug, I did some reading and had no desire to see this production of Romeo and Juliet. The story is supposed to be about a pair of sex starved teenagers, not a 36 year old and a 26 year old. And while they're trying to make a big deal about the black/white contrast, that's been done to death for years in theatres -- nothing new. I'm afraid the age difference is a bigger issue in the play than a racial difference particularly when set in modern times.