The South comes to the Jersey Shore when the Panther Players perform this spring thriller of Big Fish!
One of the most “American made” and unusual musicals of all time, the Big Fish follows the story of a southern individual named Edward Bloom and takes place in the south in Ashton, Alabama. Some of the settings also take place at Auburn University, where main character Edward Bloom (played by David Mammano) is trying to find a girl named Sandra Templeton (played by Gabby Greffen).
Edward is a storyteller who has these crazy tales which include getting kissed by a mermaid, joining the circus, and recruiting in the Army as an Eagle Scout. However, the conflict comes from his son, Will Bloom, and his belief that Edward is making up all of these stories to make Will more interested in his father.
I’ve interviewed two people from the cast that are huge contributors to this musical.
First, I talked to senior David Mammano who plays Edward Bloom. I asked him to describe his character and dig into why he tells these outlandish stories to his son. His described, “Edward is a very ambitious, loving, and determined character. He takes extreme pride in being a husband and a father. He tells these extravagant stories of his life to everyone he loves, but more importantly, his son: Will. Will grows up resenting his father for never being truthful with him but Edward is always honest about his life, even though the stories are all dramatic. Everything he learned on his journeys were real and that’s what he tries to teach Will.”
David continued to described some of the musical numbers: “In act two, a number called “Fight The Dragons” is an emotional and deep song about the relationship between Edward and his son Will. It highlights being a parent and wanting to fight for your child and protect them, shielding them from all the bad. It is about wanting to keep Will safe until he is able to conquer his battles on his own, and that is why Edward is who he is, he tells these ‘crazy’ stories, to protect his loved ones.”
I also talked to junior Declan Murphy who plays Karl, the Giant, in this production. I asked him to describe this character and share the biggest challenges that he faced with this character. He explained, “Karl is one of the most loveable characters in the show, in my opinion, He is extremely smart and kind. He is in his shell to start the show but opens up as the show goes on. The most challenging thing about taking this role has been adapting to his vocabulary. Karl has such a vast vocab that spans the entire show from exact distances to definitions of contracts. He has so much knowledge but feels like he never gets to use it because people are always scared of him and just push him aside as the “Dumb Giant”. But when Edward got to know him, he could see his true knowledge.”
Director of the Panther Players, Mr. Ian Kearns describes the play as, “a father’s story, a son’s journey, life’s epic adventure.” Kearns also shared that, “we learn through the Bloom relationships that we are the most powerful and can make the impact when we are united in empathy and compassion, and this quickly turned the Big Fish cast into family. You will find it is reflected on stage.”
Big Fish is performed by an array of 70 actors, 26 tech students, and 36 musicians, playing the original Broadway orchestrations.
Show dates are Thursday, March 21 – Saturday, March 23 @ 7:00pm followed by a Sunday matinee show on March 24 @ 2:00pm.
The role of Will Bloom is also double cast this year, senior Graysen Pagan will be performing on March 21 and March 23; senior Jimmy O’Donnell performing on March 22 and March 24.
Tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased at ppbhs.booktix.com. Don’t miss out on this American-made showstopper performed by the Jersey Shore’s biggest and brightest actors!
