Who doesn’t love some good family drama? Perhaps not in your own family, but if you are looking for some, look no further than Eastern’s upcoming musical! “Big Fish” is the place to be this upcoming March 15-16 at 7 p.m. and March 17 at 2 p.m. in McInnis theater. You can see all the family drama unfold in a heart wrenching musical about the relationship between a son and his father. Luke Baker, who is playing Will has this to say about the show, “It’s a nice story about a family, in some way or another everyone has a family. So everyone should watch this family have their struggles live on stage.”
This complex story involves some playing around with timelines and some surprisingly fantastical elements. Throughout the play not only will you get to see your lovely peers play some expected roles of the family, but also fill roles such as a witch and a giant. These characters will be dressed in what Megan Odlan considers an exciting wardrobe that includes stilts for the giant.
After talking to Megan Odland who is director of education, an ensemble dancer, and a doctor in the play, I learned that this is the “first musical since COVID that has a full storyline” that is being put on by Eastern’s theater department. For seniors out there, coming to see this show would be a great opportunity to not only support the arts here at Eastern, but experience them in their full glory with a musical.
Following the productions of “Hamlet” and the musical “Working,” this production has big shoes to fill, but I am personally very excited to hear the melodious voices of Eastern’s theater department grace our ears again. Some big roles are being filled by Luke Baker, a freshman ready to hit the big stage. Richie Izzo, a fan-favorite, is also playing a large role as the father, and should not disappoint.
While the play does not actually have any fish in it, much to Baker’s chagrin, it does include a mermaid which might be close enough. The storyline follows Will (Baker) and his journey to uncover the stories about his dad that seem a little too good to be true. The musical switches between the present and the past as more stories come out about Edward (Izzo), who is Will’s father. These fantastical stories not only make this production a spectacle, but allow for some fun moments. Baker describes Will’s father as “His dad is larger than life.” According to Megan Odland, the story is heart wrenching and she struggles not to cry as she participates in the musical.
This whole production will be accented by the lights which are run by the production team on which Ethan Goonewardene resides. He is very excited to show off the new lighting setup that they have for this production. According to Goonewardene, “Lights are going to be great, a whole new design for this play.”
If any of this sounded interesting to you, then you know where to be this coming March as “Big Fish” takes the stage. Feel free to tell them that I sent you. If you see any of the cast members offer them a “break a leg” and support them by coming out to see the show!
Josh Steen 
Ethan Goonewardene 
Chloe Rupe