Ike Musical: Big Fish, Big Rehearsals
Musical season is just around the corner…and you know what that means! This year, the show that will be performed is Big Fish, written by playwright John August and composed by Andrew Lippa. The IKE players are currently rehearsing and polishing up their characters to give you the best version of the show Ike will ever see!
The cast lineup is as written: Vincent York as Edward Bloom, Trent Toki-Pati as Will Bloom, and Aleah Nobbs as Sandra Bloom. There is a TON of hard work that goes into making a musical, Aleah said that she has, “a hard time with characterization… Sandra is portrayed through all the phases of her life. It’s been a lot of work to make all of those characters cohesive and still unique from one another.” The cast has to learn skills not only unique to the performance but also to the characters, in order for the audience to connect. Another example of this is with the Red, White, and True number, where the girls in the ensemble cast have had to learn a new ability: tap dance! To some, it's easy; to others, it's hard. All that matters is that they give it their all and try something new. Now, when Trent Toki was asked what was most difficult for him, he said that, “My role is something new and something I haven't tried before, singing higher than I usually do and reading more lines than any other shows I have done.” With this, we can see that sometimes skills come naturally, but just need to be worked on to fit the character's mold.
Now you may be wondering, what do they even look forward to in this show? I've got the answers for you…there's plenty and even more to be excited about! It can be something very simple. Vincent York says, “I'm really looking forward to performing Edward Bloom's character because his songs are great and he isn't a terrible guy.” Being able to fill the main role and give the character life is such a big commitment, really, what an amazing experience to have. For Aleah Nobbs, she says, “I'm so excited to perform the Little Lambs dance! Angie and Ava are such talented singers and dancers and they are just so fun to work with. That scene is just a lot of fun in general.” For others, it's about fun and friends, making new connections through dance, and working as a team. And lastly, Trent Toki said that he's “really looking forward to this show’s opening night…with this show, with its inspiring story and feel-good themes…this show is gonna be a hit and will draw crowds to see this show.”
Really, this is a full team effort between all the cast, ensemble, tech, and pit. Everyone is working hard every day to prepare for opening night on March 19th. The production runs from March 19th through March 28th.
