Big Fish (Chicago) Tickets

The lead was very engaging, energetic singer and actor, but many of the other performers seemed lackluster. Beautiful staging, but not especially memorable songs. An "ok" event.

"Big Fish" is s whimsical journey & the show met those expectations. I think some if the musical numbers in Act I could be shortened into a montage of his experiences. I also feel the young Will could have been utilized more as observing, or at least present somehow to connect the audience to his endurance of theses stories through his childhood. I love Butz as Ed Bloom but I feel that his sense of whimsy and charm were lost. At times he seemed more cocky & arrogant, which could make it difficult for an audience member to connect to him.

I thought Big Fish was excellent! I went to opening night, and they were working out a few kinks still, but to no degree distracting or disappointing. I laughed. I cried. Fantastic show and wonderful crew!

And this one was no exception. What a waste of starpower. Norman Leo Buntz hit a few high marks, but his fearless physicality and comic energy were grossly underutilized in this slow-moving, overly long effort. The story was not engaging, the songs were mostly unforgettable and I found myself frequently wondering how much longer the pain (mild, but still painful) was going to last. Most disappointing: an unearned standing ovation from the Chicago audience. C'mon people! A Standing O used to mean something!

My family, including three kids loved the show! It was heartwarming, visually captivating and fun! First show in years that everyone in our family loved!

Wonderful show, and great for the whole family! I laughed and I cried! Everyone was wonderfully cast and really made the show come to life. There was a bit of foul language, so watch out for that if you are bringing small children. However, even young children will enjoy this show because of all the special effects and "stories" the man tell that come to life. I highly recommend this show!

After reading in the Trib about the pre-production of this musical, I really wanted to see this musical. I went on Apr 4th, and was a bit disappointed. In Act 1, the best parts were the witch and the scene w/the elephants (a bit underutilized as they were so unexpected). The orchestra being on the stage instead of below made the sound distorted on the sides of the theater: the sound was better at the back. After all the hype of the lead's background, Mr Butz' performance seemed lifeless and it felt like he didn't show up until Act 2. Act 2 was much better and had more of the magic that I was expecting knowing this story. If the scenes & songs in Act 1 had smoother transitions and didn't feel like a mis-matched collection of snippets from a larger story, it would leave the audience with an experience of having seen something truly special.

While their were some cool special effects, the story could have been a little smoother. Due to the need to maximize the investment in scene design, each event went longer than needed and not all of the stories were told. Therefore not as impact full when it came together in the end. The casting of Edward Bloom was a little off. The character should be more robust and "larger than life" this Edward Bloom was not. I thought the person who played the circus ringmaster would have been a better Bloom as his stage presence was larger. I kind of enjoyed the play because I loved the movie but my friend had not seen the movie and did not enjoy ut as much.

Story line followed the movie some what. I did not read the book, so it may follow closer to the original story, but the story did flow very well. It was very visual with good staging and using multimedia to enhance the story. The singing and acting were very good.

I adore musical theatre. This one was not good enough. The actors were brilliant. At times, the spectacle was great too. The music all sounded kind of the same and was altogether forgettable. The direction seemed a bit disjointed at times: a bizarre transition in which a woman sat on the stage holding her skirt up to play a campfire comes to mind. Overall, it was not unpleasant, but I would not recommend. Spend your money on Book of Mormon instead.

amazing, the special efects, the stage, the actors, the music, the musicians, the coreographic, everything from star to finish was super amazin, i love it, and i will recomend to everyone.

Big Fish was a wonderful musical with unforgettable talent, choreography, music, and special effects. A feel good musical that can be enjoyed by all ages.

Big Fish is a must-see. It not only has a great story line and strong, developed characters, it also has a wonderful assortment of music, dancing, and songs. The sets are very creative with some inventive special effects; so much to take in. The actors are well-casted and talented. I hoped to hear more singing from Bobby Steggart, but what he sang, he sang most beautifully! Loved it and would even go see it again!

This is a nothing show. Hard to believe that somebody didn't stop the creative team and say, "Do you actually think that this is entertaining?" Where do we start? The son's character is horribly written. All he does is whine that, "Dad told a bunch of stories and I don't know what's true or not! Woe is me!" I dare anyone to remember a melody after this show is over. The songs are atrocious. The plot line is "Who cares?" As a general rule, stories based upon characters who are "larger than life"--in this case Edward Bloom falter because the characters are only larger than life in the author's mind. And to a total stranger, that is the audience in this instance, he comes off as a bore. Dancing is interesting. Sets are great. Cast tries hard. But this show sucks

This show is unforgettable mainly because of the lead performance of Norbert Leo Butz. Have never seen him before in person, but was familiar with his voice from The Last Five Years soundtrack. I will now make it a point to see him perform in anything. He is everything!!!

Thoroughly enjoyable productio with great music and visual s. The staging and special effects enhanced the fun. I had no idea what the play was about but I thoroughly enjoyed it

Wonderful example of a new Broadway bound show, with spectacular visual effects. The colors and projections, and ways that the set moved, and the actors became things (roots of trees, for example) were really stunning. The show had a great story, and I really enjoyed how family friendly it was. You could easily bring a child who enjoys good movies and theatre to this show, without hesitation of crude language or subject matter. The orchestra was on a 2 decker platform, behind the stage, covered with a black scrim, so when lit, you could see them. Most of the time, they were not noticed. The actors were terrific. Wonderful voices, great dancers, expertly executed. Susan Stroman as director is visionary in her work. And there must have been over a hundred costumes in the show. So many different locales and situations depicted. Really a cornacopia of inventive staging, techniques, and performance.

The staging was spectacular especially in the first half. The songs were excellent and memorable in the first half. Enjoyed the casting - all the actors were excellent. The second half was a bit of a let down. While this may be due in part to the more somber theme of the second half, it still felt like more could have been done. Also the mystical town from the movie, which was one of my favorite parts of the movie, was not included. Not having read the book (yet) I don't know if the town was essential. Overall though a great experience and I recommend it.

The music, costumes, set and actors were all excellent. The story was present in a clear concise fashion and I believe it will be a spectacular hit on Broadway. The best play I have seen since Jersey Boys.

My husband and i loved BIG FISH. it was very well done. The set was creative and imaginative, paralleling the story line. Norbert Leo Butz was amazing in every way. He jumped from age to age seamlessly; his emotions were spot on; his voice is engaging; his acting believable. I highly recommend it.