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July 22, 2005
Enjoy Big performances
After 60 years, Theatre Under the Stars still satisfies.
CYNTHIA RAMSAY
For its 60th summer season, Theatre Under the Stars is staging
a couple of fun musicals: Can-Can and Big: The Musical.
As usual, several members of the Jewish community are involved in
the productions. This week, we review Big, for which Wendy
Bross Stuart is music director.
Based on the popular movie Big that starred Tom Hanks as
the "adult" Josh Baskin, the musical tells the story of
Baskin, a 12-year-old who, at a local fair, puts a coin in a Zoltar
machine and wishes to be "big." The next morning, he awakes
to find that his wish has come true. He is an adult, in body, at
least. He manages – with his boyish charm and uncanny-for-an-adult
knowledge of toys – to get a job at MacMillan Toys. Here, he
meets Susan, and they fall in love. Torn between his job, Susan,
his best friend and his worried mother, who thinks he's been kidnapped,
Baskin decides that he's not quite ready to be big. Eventually,
he finds the Zoltar machine again at another fair and wishes to
be young again.
The musical manages to maintain the movie's sense of fun. Peter
Jorgensen is excellent as Adult Josh and Lucas Testini is very good
as Young Josh. Jewish community member Doran Satanove turns in a
well-acted and spirited showing as Young Josh's best friend, Billy
– he garners many of the laughs. Naomi Krajden, Rachel Koffman
and Robert Markus are part of an overall strong cast that includes
Lalainia Lindbjerg as Susan.
The acting is better than the singing in this production, but no
one is unbearable sound-wise. The best voices are those of Jorgensen
and Kimberly Page (Mrs. Baskin). The music itself is very well-performed
by the orchestra, which includes Jeff Feinstein, but is not that
memorable. Everyone will appreciate the practise that must have
gone into nailing the timing between the action and music in such
scenes as the now-famous one of Adult Josh and his soon-to-be boss
playing the big piano with their feet at the toy store.
Theatre Under the Stars started in 1934 as an outdoor band shell
in Stanley Park for summer afternoon concerts. In 1940, a group
of local theatre people formed a "not-for-profit society"
called Theatre Under the Stars to produce musicals during the summer.
Since then, TUTS has been entertaining audiences from around the
world with productions in the outdoor setting of the Malkin Bowl
in Stanley Park.
This year's shows started earlier this month. Big opened
July 14 and plays every second night until its last performance
on Aug. 19. Can-Can opened on July 13 and plays every second
night until its last performance on Aug 20. The gate opens at 7
p.m. and shows start at 8 p.m. every night.
For ticket information, contact Festival box office at 604-257-0366
or via the web (www.festivalboxoffice.com).
Tickets are also available at the TUTS box office (604-687-0174)
and the ticket booth at Malkin Bowl, 1-5 p.m. Prices are $30, $25
for seniors and students, $20 for youth (six to 16), $85 for a family
(two adults plus two youth) and children under five are free.
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