Ben Bakken and Jonah Dale Matias Anderson Photo by Molly Jay

Given the lackluster response, the show was never sent forth as a national tour, yet Big Fish pops up repeatedly at regional and community theaters. Its narrative, built around a between a father and son relationship and laced with fantastical tall tales that lend the show colorful settings, quirky characters, and whimsical plot twists, has an undeniable appeal. Moreover, it has a good heart and in a time when cynicism runs rampant both in daily life and in our entertainments, a good heart counts for a lot. If the Big Fish is not a top-drawer musical theatre work–which it is not–it still offers the chance, in capable hands, for an audience to be entertained and a bit moved.

Those capable hands, in this case, are the team at Lyric Arts Main Street Stage in Anoka, who have been on a roll, mounting one winning production after another. In this case, director Scott Ford draws out all that is intriguing and decent about the story, while delivering it with strong entertainment values. The production is well-sung, well-acted, and well-danced by a strong cast, led by a stellar Ben Bakken. Choreographer Hannah Weinberg-Goerger has devised imaginative dance routines that astutely embellish the basic storytelling function of this show, making inventive use of the relatively small (for musical theatre) stage to mount robust numbers that never feel small.

Bakken, in the lead role of Edward Bloom, inveterate spinner of yarns, has a chance to show us his dancing chops, in particular in a lively display of step-dancing early on. Edward hides the truth about his life behind a cavalcade of preposterous–though amusing–stories in which he cavorts with a mermaid, works at a circus, befriends a giant, alters the course of the Korean War, and has the nature of his final demise foretold to him by a witch. Bakken ably expresses Edward's quixotic philosophy in the opening "Be the Hero," and delivers the sweetness of the spark of true love in "Time Stops," shared with Kate Beahen as Edward's wife Sandra. He easily holds the center stage among the crowd in several lively production numbers throughout the show, and on a final number that manages to turn heartbreak into joy.

Beahen establishes her own strong presence as the middle-aged Sandra buffeted by the discord between her husband and their son, Will, lovingly expressed in "Two Men in My Life," while affirming the happiness life has given her in "I Don't Need a Roof." As the ingenue, Sandra, pursued by love-struck Edward, Beahen shares the romantic "Time Stops" and his impassioned pursuit of her affection among a sea of "Daffodils," with him.

Will, grown and about to get married, wants his father to stop telling outrageous lies and reveal the truth about himself. Adult Will is played by Will Gaspar, who shows himself to be a promising recent arrival to Twin Cities stages. Gasper earnestly conveys Will's growing anger toward a father who remains a "Stranger" to him. Young Will was played by Jonah Dale Matias Anderson at the performance I saw (alternating with Kaden Hesser). Anderson proved to be a winning performer, persuasively showing the confused emotions of a boy who wants to believe his father's tales but is already too wise to be fooled. Anderson sings with a strong, show-worthy voice and especially shines in Young Will's duet with Edward, "Fight the Dragons."

Among the other notable roles, Justin Betancourt is terrific as the ringmaster who takes Edward into the circus, drawing a favorable comparison to Danny Devito, who played the role in the movie. Brandon Osero is wonderful as Karl the Giant, another featured player in the tall tales Edward has told Will over the years. Megan Beard gives a winning portrayal of the hometown sweetheart Edward leaves behind, and Lydia Rose Prior is lovely as Josephine, Will's insightful bride.

Curtis Phillips' simple but effective set design is greatly amplified by projections designed by Brady Whitcomb that create backdrops for all of Edward's farfetched tales. Samantha Fromm Haddow has designed costumes that help to affirm each character's part within the story, while Shannon Elliott's lighting design offers shifting tones and focal points from scene to scene. The story is set in Alabama, and Gillian Constable has worked with the cast as dialect coach to draw out apt, but not overdone, Southern accents. The score is well played by a 12-member band, conducted offstage by Wesley Frye.

While Lyric Arts has done everything right, from casting to design to staging, Big Fish remains an enjoyable but not outstanding musical. The songs, with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, serve the narrative well, especially those mentioned above, and the big numbers feel like they erupt organically out of the plot, rather than being shoe-horned in. Yet, the songs are not particularly memorable and none stand out as defining elements of the show. John August's book, drawn from his own screenplay, necessarily tightens things up in the plot, giving the show a more episodic quality, rather than offering a coherent through-narrative. For example, August combined two elements from early in the plot, Edward's hometown of Ashton and the spectral village he discovers while out on the road, into one, which streamlines the pace of the show but undermines the magical elements of its conclusion.

While these observations certainly do not ruin Big Fish, they explain perhaps why it falls short of greatness. Nonetheless, it is a vibrant musical with characters that charm, a story that keeps its audience engaged, and a bit of armchair wisdom to offer. Lyric Arts has taken these positive attributes and twisted and polished them into a marvelous entertainment. Like its title, Big Fish is one you want to catch.

Big Fish runs through October 5, 2025, at Lyric Arts Main Street Stage, 420 East Main Street, Anoka MN. For information and tickets, please call 763-422-1838 or visit lyricarts.org.

Book: John August; Music and Lyrics: Andrew Lippa, based on the novel Big Fish: A Novel of Epic Proportions by Daniel Wallace and the Columbia Motion Picture Big Fish written by John August and directed by Tim Burton; Director: Scott Ford; Choreography: Hannah Weinberg-Goerger; Projection Design: Brady Whitcomb: Music Direction: Wesley Frye; Scenic Design: Curtis Phillips; Costume Design: Samantha Fromm-Haddow; Lighting Design: Shannon Elliott; Sound Design: Corrine Steffens; Props Design: Kat Walker; Intimacy and Fight Choreography: Madeline Achen; Dialect Coach: Gillian Constable; Stage Manager: Jenna Hyde; Assistant Stage Manager: Christian Erben.

Cast: Jonah Dale Matias Anderson *(Young Will), Ben Bakken (Edward), Kate Beahen (Sandra), Megan Beard (Jenny), Justin Betancourt (Amos), Sarah Christenson (Girl in the Water), Finnola Coughlin (ensemble), James Ehlenz (Dan), Will Gaspar (Will), James Grace (ensemble), Jonathan P. Haller (ensemble), Imani Harris (Witch), Kaden Hesser *(Young Will), Brooklyn Klekamp (ensemble), Catherine Maki (ensemble), Brandon Osero (Karl), Lydia Rose Prior (Josephine), Drew Reynhout (ensemble), Margaret Reid (Dr. Bennett), Alex Stokes (Zacky), Tim Wollman (ensemble). *alternating performances