Enthusiastic 'Big' at Hale rises above...
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Danny Tarasevich (left)
and
Eric Lash (right) bring
to
life Josh Baskin's dream
of being big.
Review: Enthusiastic 'Big' at Hale rises above shortcomings in material
By Barbara M. Bannon
Special to The Tribune
Salt Lake Tribune
West Valley City > It's been common through the years for successful Broadway musicals to acquire a second life as films. Only recently has the trend reversed itself with a number of films reinventing themselves as musical theater. "The Lion King," "The Producers" and "The Little Mermaid" are obvious examples.
It's hard to say whether this development says more about the unwillingness of American audiences to venture into uncharted territory or the compulsion of producers to recycle past successes until they completely exhaust them.
Currently attempting this transition is John Weidman, Stephen Flaherty and Richard Maltby Jr.'s "Big: The Musical," a revamping of the 1988 hit film starring Tom Hanks, which opened last week at the Hale Centre Theatre. You're not likely to leave the theater humming the songs, but some lively performances, Marilyn May Montgomery's perky choreography, especially in production numbers like "Cross the Line" and "Coffee, Black," and a lot of youthful energy from the singing and dancing ensemble compensate nicely for the shortcomings in the material. At the center of "Big" is Josh, a young man on the threshold of 13 who feels frustrated by all the things he still can't do. When he stumbles on a strange fortune-telling machine at a local carnival, he blurts out "I wish I was big" and wakes up the next morning in an adult body. Coping with puberty is bad enough, but now he faces grown-up problems he hadn't anticipated, like getting a job.
Luckily, Josh meets Mr. MacMillan, a disgruntled toy manufacturer who desperately needs a best-selling new gimmick, and impresses him with his knowledge of what kids like. The two share one of the show's cleverest numbers, "Fun," as they dance a duet on a giant piano keyboard. MacMillan makes Josh "vice president in charge of product evaluation," ushering him into a whole new corporate world, where the jaded marketing manager, Susan Lawrence, falls in love with his exuberance and innocence. When his best friend, Billy, discovers how Josh can return to his childhood, Josh faces a crucial decision.
"Big" starts slowly but really takes off when Josh is transformed.
With his mop of curly hair, infectious enthusiasm and mellow singing style, Danny Tarasevich (in the Monday, Wednesday, Friday cast) is a perfect combination of boy and man, and his vitality fuels the show.
Under her veneer of worldly sophistication, Jocelyn Hansen's Susan is a simple girl at heart. Hansen handles two radically different songs, "Little Susan Lawrence" and "Dancing All the Time," with equal finesse.
Kooper Campbell is a brash and charismatic Billy, and Jim Dale's MacMillan is a curmudgeon who never lapses into meanness. Wanda Copier has some tender moments as Josh's mom.
John Sweeney's direction meshes deftly with Kelly DeHaan's musical direction to keep the show moving at a quick but uncluttered pace. The highlight of Kacey Udy's splashy pop-art set is Josh's apartment with its trampoline floor. Spencer Brown's lighting transitions adeptly from bright to moody blue.
"Big" is a sweet show that mixes nostalgia for the past with the admonition to make the most of life wherever you happen to be. In the present tumultuous, uncertain age, that's not bad advice.
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