Susan Stroman Will Helm March-April Developmental Workshop of New Musical Big Fish

By Andrew Gans
and Kenneth Jones
21 Dec 2011

Director/choreographer Susan Stroman
Director/choreographer Susan Stroman
Photo by Joseph Marzullo/WENN

A developmental workshop of the new musical Big Fish, featuring songs by Andrew Lippa, book by John August and direction and choreography by Susan Stroman, will be held March 12-April 8, 2012, according to an Equity casting notice.

Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen are producing the workshop of the musical, which is aiming for a Broadway bow in spring 2013, according to a previous report in the New York Times.

The fanciful new musical from Oscar-winning producers Jinks and Cohen is based on the novel by Daniel Wallace and the 2003 Columbia Pictures film written by John August.

Mary Mitchell Campbell is the musical director.

The musical, according to the casting notice, is described as such: "Rollicking fantasy set in the American South. Centers on the charismatic Edward Bloom, whose impossible stories of his life’s epic adventures frustrate his son Will. Now, with Edward on his deathbed, Will must embark on his own journey to find out who his father really is, unraveling the man from the myth, the truth from the tall tales."

The novel was first published in 1998. Tim Burton directed the 2003 film starring Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange and Helena Bonham Carter. The film was nominated for an Academy Award, Grammy, seven Golden Globes and a BAFTA.

Stroman, a 2011 Tony Award nominee for her direction and choreography of The Scottsboro Boys, is the creative force of nature behind the Tony Award-winning Contact, The Producers and Crazy for You.

Composer-lyricist Andrew Lippa was a 2010 Tony Award nominee for his score to The Addams Family, which was recently revised for its national tour. He also wrote the scores for the musicals A Little Princess, The Wild Party and jon & jen.

Librettist August received a 2004 BAFTA nomination for his screenplay for "Big Fish." His other credits include "Go," "Titan A.E.," "Charlie's Angels," "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle," "Corpse Bride," "The Nines" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," for which he received a 2006 Grammy nomination for lyrics. He is a graduate of Drake University and USC's School of Cinematic Arts.

Jinks and Cohen are Academy Award-winning producers of "American Beauty" and "Milk."

Tony Award winner Hugh Jackman participated in an earlier reading of Big Fish; participants in readings do not necessarily always move on to future productions.