Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...It helps that the production, under the direction of Stephen Schellhardt and music direction of Michael McBride, is perfectly paced. And that Schellhardt's cast is a true, tight ensemble; everyone has everyone else's back, and as a result everyone shines-and the story unfolds with a grace that kees the audience riveted. Maybe Big Fish was always meant to flourish in a small pond. There is no shame in that. The Chicago theater movement was originally founded on the idea of many small (storefront) ponds, in which fish of many sizes thrive."
Windy City Times - Recommended
"...Director Stephen Schellhardt finds the magic in keeping stage action simple, and with songs scored intimately by a six-piece orchestra, less is truly more. What sparkles more than anything is an array of vocal performers who've never met a heart string they couldn't expertly tug. Kyrie Anderson and Nicole Besa are so joyous and resounding as Sandra and Josephine Bloom, it's a crime that they factor into the music so little. The women of Big Fish are relegated to being glamorous fictions or portents of impending reality to the Bloom men, at least until Anderson knocks "I Don't Need a Roof" directly into your tear ducts."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Over the last 10 years, I have seen several versions of "Big Fish" with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and a book by John August. It is not often done, probably because it is a difficult piece to create. The story is about dreaming. Actually about dreaming large, loving large and living large, and yet through all of its fantasy ( this musical is based on the book by Daniel Wallace ) there is a great deal of honesty and truth. The film version was spectacular and filled with great visuals, but in a live setting, how can all of these fantasies come alive? Thanks to the brilliant direction of Stephen Schellhardt, on the intimate stage of The Greenhouse Theater's UP MAIN STAGE, we are treated to a pure spectacle of true love!"
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...This entertaining, family-friendly production, which focuses on loving relationships and captivating storytelling, makes every performance Fathers Day. Director Stephen Schellhardt spins a heartfelt, gorgeous musical tale about family, friendships and love. It's a musical that will touch the heart, speak to the soul and bring a laugh and a tear to everyone. For the performances of Tommy Thurston and Kyrie Anderson alone, theatergoers will be rewarded. Edward Bloom's gift for spinning stories that both entertain and teach will leave the theatergoers a little happier and a lot wiser."
Chicagoland Musical Theatre - Highly Recommended
"...Artfully produced by a top-notch design team, and skillfully realized by a handful of Chicago's brightest performers, BoHo Theatre creates true magic with Big Fish. BoHo manages to tame a maelstrom of fantasy whirling across the Lincoln Avenue. Yet, save for the boundless ambition of the human mind, nothing lasts forever - including this production. However, the stories that BoHo continues to leave behind will certainly outlast the stubborn chill of many more Chicago winters to come."
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...Based on the novel by Daniel Wallace and the film by Tim Burton, Big Fish (with music and lyrics by Andre Lippa and a book by John August), is such an uplifting musical that I really want to see it any time it comes around, no matter who is doing it. But when the company producing it is Boho Theatre, I’m doubly excited, as I have come to expect a lot from Boho, now completing its 15th season. And this production absolutely delivers: every aspect of the show is stellar, allowing its many life lessons to shine."
PicksInSix - Highly Recommended
"...Thurston's down-home charm and supple range match perfectly with the radiant Kyrie Anderson, who is captivating as his wife Sandra. Pierpoint's talents are on full display, and with his pregnant bride Josephine, a tender Nicole Besa, and the endearing Desmond Murphy as the young Will (a role shared with Ian Michael Pinksi), this is a family you can really believe in. The ensemble covers numerous featured roles in the stories that unfold along the way, including: Caitlin Dobbins (Witch), Michaela Shapiro (Girl in the Water), Robert Quintanilla (Karl), Alli Atkenson (Jenny), Sean Michael Barrett (Amos Calloway), Matt Frye (Don) and Joshua Bishop (Zacky). "
The Broadway Blog - Highly Recommended
"...As I took my seat for last weekend's press opening, I wondered how Big Fish could be mounted in the relatively small pond that is its current home at the Greenhouse Theater Center, but that concern quickly dissipated. No space could confine the director Stephen Schellhardt and the creative team's work. Every inch of the stage is used to advantage, empowered by rapid changes in locale that highlight Lauren M. Nichols's scenic design. The Bloom family home, a flooded town in rural Alabama, a field full of witches, a cave hiding a giant? The continuous suspension of disbelief is readily overcome by a flawless collaboration of creative and technical skills for which the production team should win awards."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Credit also goes to director Stephen Schellhardt for delivering an honest and unabashed work that takes full advantage of its almost three-hour running time. While slow to warm up, this is a production with a lot of heart, which ultimately delivers at a very emotional level. It made me realize that the very act of talking about ourselves is dependent on at least a little bit of myth-making. Edward Bloom just does it better than most."
