Big Fish
at Laguna Hills High School

Reviewed on May 7, 2015

Sierra Julander
Tesoro High School
Submitted for publication to Orange County Register

Laguna Hills Delivers Imaginative ‘Big Fish'

Laguna Hills High School opens its stage and imagination to accommodate the larger-than-life stories chronicled in "Big Fish." As father and travelling salesman Edward Bloom recounts his suspiciously extraordinary life story to his son Will, the two embark on a journey of self-discovery that highlights the past and present in an attempt to better understand Edward's unique synthesis of fact and fiction.

All smiles, Anthony Kairouz portrays the exuberant Edward Bloom. Despite his hunched posture and periodic need to clutch his aching side, Kairouz radiates elation, even confidently stealing Will's first dance with his bride to joyfully prance around the stage. His loose movements and whimsical inflection embody youth despite his declining health. Kairouz leaps into action as he portrays the younger Edward, shoulders back and pitch raised to decrease the appearance of age.

As Will, Reed Jones' upright posture and intense candor stand in contrast to Edward's uncontained inventiveness. Showcased in "Stranger," Jones' resonant vocals maintain a forceful stage presence. Coming to terms with Edward's eccentricity, Jones eventually abandons his stiff movement for relaxed gesturing as he tells exaggerated stories to his own son.

Edward's imagined characters, from mermaids to werewolves, contribute intrigue and fantasy to his tall tales. Karl (Treyden Talbot) is the physically menacing but mentally sharp giant, speaking in a monotonous, booming voice. The Witch (Mika Honda) is distinctly sinister, beckoning Edward with curling fingers and a mischievous smirk.

The energy and ardor of the ensemble are captured in "Showdown" in which the residents of Edward's hometown appear to him in an illness-induced hallucination, claiming he will be hung for his covert actions. Donning western accents and brusque movement, the cast brilliantly conveys Edward's internal terror.

Lighting and projection designs, by Reed Jones, emphasize the emotion of each number. The stage is lit red as Edward is in danger and blue when he is happy, culminating in a bittersweet purple as the show closes. Intricate projections provide additional technical highlight to the performance, conveying location and contributing subtle movement to each scene.

Both beginning and ending with the image of a father and son silhouetted against the sky, Laguna's "Big Fish" highlights the father-son relationship and the quest for identity and self-acceptance. With masterful technical and dramatic design, Laguna Hills epitomizes the imagination inherent in the lives of Edward and Will Bloom.

Claudia Mansoory
Tesoro High School
Submitted for publication to Orange County Register

Big Fish makes a splash at Laguna Hills

The stage is overtaken by a wash of blue light silhouetting two figures in the distance: a father with his arm wrapped around the shoulder of his young son. This image, which returns as the final tableau of the show, welcomes audiences to Laguna Hills High School's production of "Big Fish". Laguna Hills highlights the strength of love in a family and the unique bond between father and son in their heartwarming, tear-jerking tale.

Anthony Kairouz shows off an impressive range of talents as Edward, an aged father in ailing health, who becomes spirited and spritely in flashbacks to his youth. His overflowing imagination is displayed when he jumps off of his son's bed, bringing bedtime stories to life, and darts into a pantomimed sword fight, lunging and stabbing at an invisible foe. Kairouz clearly defines the past and the present by assigning an animated bound to young Edward and a hunched shuffle to old Edward.

Reed Jones as Will, Edward's son, provides a definite contrast between himself and his eccentric father. Each time his father rattles off a far-fetched story, he logically counters it with an astutely serious tone. Throughout his song, "Stranger", Jones remains firmly grounded, gesturing widely as he ruefully looks back on his strained paternal relationship.

With bright, innocent doe-eyes and a kind smile, Sabrina Astle is charming as Young Sandra. In "Time Stops", a romantic duet between her and Edward, she stares longingly at him while he bashfully pretends to look away. As the two continue with this flirtatious game, the colorful ensemble of circus performers around them slows their movement to a near stop, allowing the couple to become the center of attention.

Tall and brooding with broad shoulders and a booming voice is Treyden Talbot as Karl: Ashton, Alabama's local giant. At first glance he appears to be simplistic and dumb, but he surprises characters with shockingly intelligent facts, statistics, and contemplative ideas.

Lighting, designed by Reed Jones, helps distinguish between reality and Edward's imagination. In real time, the stage is washed with natural hues, but during Edward's exaggerated tales, actors are lit by vivid, alternating colors.

Opening with one generation and closing with another, Laguna Hills High School's production of "Big Fish" shares the enduring power of forgiveness and it's significance in a family.

Taylor Plett
SOCSA Dana Hills
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies Facebook

Laguna Hills cast makes a ‘Big' splash

Alive with a jaunty cast of sundry individuals, Laguna Hills' "Big Fish" delivers the new musical with fantasy and fervor.

Recounting the misshapen relationship of an often-absent father and his frustrated son, "Big Fish" explores the possibility of finding a person within the tall tales they tell, and the forgiveness that burgeons from accepting someone for who they are.

A mystery to his son, Edward (Anthony Kairouz) transitions from an old man, his back hunched and voice faltering, to a sprightly youth bursting with vitality as he transverses between the modern day and his childhood fantasies. Kairouz flaunts reverberating vocals in "Be the Hero," filling the atmosphere with zealous enthusiasm and the undying confidence of a self-made man.

Edward's son, Will (Reed Jones), commands the stage with palpable angst and a trilling tenor as he unfolds his distanced father-son relationship in "Stranger." Beginning as a tightly-wound ‘realist' with tense movements and expressions, Jones develops into a carefree spirit as he embraces his father's inventive lifestyle. Young Will (Rudy Buttlar) reflects the mannerisms of his adult counterpart, skeptical and sharp while still demonstrating boyhood in his piping voice.

Young Sandra (Sabrina Astle) retains a youthful loveliness as Edward's doe-eyed sweetheart, the two evoking nervous excitement as they first meet eyes in "Time Stops." Astle's sweet demeanor is paralleled in Older Sandra (Abby Buckels), who comforts her ailing husband with the tear-jerking ballad, "I Don't Need a Roof."

But it's Karl (Treyden Talbot) who steals the show, his gargantuan figure towering as he drones side-splitting lines in a dull monotone.

Praise is also due to Reed Jones for an innovative and versatile set design; sliding walls open to symbolize the expanse of Edward's imagination each time he shares one of his stories, while the set's overall simplicity refrains from overshadowing the performers' liveliness. Sound (Jake Hamilton, Kaylee Adams-Shobe, Lauren Cacace) augments the variant tones of each scene, ranging from the pitter-patter of skipping stones as Edward demonstrates a seven-skip toss for his son, to a heartrate monitor's gentle flat-line as Edward's death is actualized for Will and the audience alike.

Woven in whimsical wonder and familial warmth, "Big Fish" proves that, when one is a ‘big fish' dreamer in a ‘small pond' town, a bit of imagination is all that is necessary in becoming the hero of one's own story.