Oct. 22, 2024 -- From the second that senior Hugh Davis starred in his first production with the Vocal Music Department during his freshman year, the annual musical has become something “I would always look forward to.” And here he is now, as Edward Bloom in Heights High’s musical production of “Big Fish.” The show, reworked to be performed by high school groups, is based on the celebrated novel by Daniel Wallace and the acclaimed film directed by Tim Burton. The story centers on Edward Bloom, a traveling salesman who lives life to its fullest… and then some! Edward’s incredible, larger-than-life stories thrill everyone around him – most of all, his devoted wife Sandra. But their son Will, about to have a child of his own, is determined to find the truth behind his father’s epic tales.
Junior Abs Burkle, who plays Amos Calloway in both casts, enjoyed developing the character in a way that portrays him with a complex viewpoint and recalled the similarities between him and her role as Uncle Fester from “The Addams Family.” “I think [Amos] is pretty similar to my role of Fester in the way that he is a silly guy who works with quirky people.” For junior Kendall Thompson, playing Josephine Bloom in Cast B is her first chance to play a named role and she has had fun exploring her character. “Although she isn’t as involved as the other characters, I think Josephine is very important in keeping the peace between both Edward and Will.”
Playing the “dynamic, extreme, and goofy caricature” that is Jenny Hill for Cast B has encouraged senior Sofia Pehowic to step outside of her comfort zone. It has “truly [been] a challenge” to play a character so far from herself as a person but she hopes that the audience “gets to see a very different view of Jenny that has more depth and shows a lot of emotion” towards the end of the musical.
The cast has connected deeply with the musical’s themes of family and communication, as well as recalling your memories of those who passed on. “Though you may be part of a story, you’ll never truly know the whole story until it’s over,” explained junior Jett Lekudom, who plays Will Bloom in Cast B. “It’s so hard to fully learn and understand the people you know completely. Only in passing would you learn what impact they had on the world.” Junior Addison Hart, who plays Sandra Bloom in Cast B, loves how Will grows to understand his father over the course of the musical and how he starts to believe in the magic that life holds. “I think we all need to find the magic in our lives and believe in it.”
For Sofia, she connected with the story and its themes a little more personally due to the recent passing of her grandmother from pancreatic cancer. “In her last few years we got to know each other more but she only told the same stories over and over again to my brother and I,” she shared. “It wasn’t until after she died that I heard from her brother about her and got to go through her things that I found out who she was.”
According to VMD teacher and director, Jesse Lange, over 200 student actors and singers from the middle and high schools, instrumentalists, stage crew members, and students from the cosmetology program have come together to prepare for and perform in Heights High’s production of the family-friendly and exciting story. “‘Big Fish’ in particular has a larger-than-life storyline centered in a down-to-earth, emotional landscape,” he said. “It really tugs at your heartstrings!” The show runs Saturday, November 2 and Sunday, November 3 at the Dina Rees Evans Performing Arts Center in Cleveland Heights High School.
The lead cast encourages the community to come and see the show and highlights the camaraderie that has deepened and the growth they have seen from each other in the midst of dance rehearsals, line work, and blocking practice. “I have really enjoyed watching my friends get into their roles and become their characters,” said Addison. “We laugh at rehearsals, we joke, and we grow as young actors.”
Mr. Lange chose this contemporary production as a way to showcase the diverse artistic talents of District’s middle and high school students that is family-friendly, engaging, and entertaining. The show centers around a “familial bond found between the characters that echoes the strong communal bond found between our community and schools,” he explained. “Also that you can ‘be the hero’ in your everyday life; in other words, choose to be your best self every day and show up for the people around you.”
Like the characters in “Big Fish,” the members of the lead cast have grown a deeper appreciation of each other and the sense of family and community that the VMD continues to build. For Addison, the Heights High Vocal Department is not only a place where she has found herself and developed a singer and performer – it is a “home away from home and the friendships I have built will last forever.”
“‘Big Fish’ is a musical that encapsulates the idea of how one person can change so many lives,” said Hugh. “And I think that is what is so magical about it.”
“Big Fish - School Edition,” will be performed on November 2 and 3 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
The lead roles of the show:
Edward Bloom: Hugh Davis
Sandra Bloom: Jayden Chase (Cast A) and Addison Hart (Cast B)
Will Bloom: Henry Dyck (Cast A) and Jett Lekudom (Cast B)
Josephine Bloom: Anna Kenealy (Cast A) and Kendall Thompson (Cast B)
Karl the Giant: Jordan LaShore-Yelder (Cast A) and Darion Cochran (Cast B)
Amos Calloway: Abs Burkle
Don Price: Carl Nicosia
The Witch: Emily Barr (Cast A) and Demetriana Blade (Cast B)
Jenny Hill: Clara Walker (Cast A) and Sofia Pehowic (Cast B)
Zacky Price: Aaron Putnam
Dr. Bennett: Ella Watterson
Alabama Lambs: Gwen Kinsella and Tasha Bell
Mayor: Van Terry
Red Fang: Reece Gosselin