PHOTO BY T.L. BOSTO N

Above: BIG changes on the Fisher Theatre

stage.

Left: Tony Award nominees Daniel Jenkins
and Crista Moore are more than BIG pals.

and "hopefully
make the story
even more mov-

mg.

The object of Josh's crush, Susan, is played by
Crista Moore, a Tony nominee for her role in Gyp-
sy. She gives a performance that will no doubt rival
Elizabeth Perkins' in the movie.
"Because the movie is so good, you have to figure
out how you can tell that same story differently in or-
der to make it fresh and valid as a stage piece," says
composer David Shire (for more on Shire and the mak-
ing of BIG, see the Profile story in this section).
The dance ensemble, an idea conceived by director
Mike Ockrent and choreographer Susan Stroman, is
a clever device that adds dimension and texture to the
show. The ensemble consists of six teen-agers who
float in and out of scenes like an ebullient Greek cho-
rus, reminding Josh of the youth he wished away.
"The dance ensemble allows Josh to check back lit-
erally and metaphorically with his friends to see how
the world he left is changing as he is discovering that
the adult world isn't all that he thought it would be,"
Shire says.
The play uses song as well as dance to help tell
Josh's story. According to Shire, the trick for him and
lyricist Richard Maltby was making Josh believable
when he sings, because, "although he looks like a 35
year-old man, he's still a 13-year-old boy; the chal-
lenge was not to make him so articulate that he
sounds phony."
Shire feels the songs allow the musical to delve more
deeply into the character's emotions than the movie did

Detroiters are
in the enviable
position of get-
ting the chance
to see BIG with-
out having to el-
bow their way through Times
Square. With an amazing cast, orig-
inal songs, choreography, sets and
costumes, BIG promises to be the
big musical event of the year. ❑

All Set For BIG.

S

et designer Robin Wag-
ner is a multiple Tony
Award winner whose
work has been an inte-
gral part of such Broadway hits
as Angels in America, Jelly's Last
Jam, Crazy for You, A Chorus
Line, Dreamgirls, Jesus Christ
Superstar and Hair.
"The greatest challenge for me
in working on BIG," says Wag-
ner, "was trying
Brenda Abrams
to get my head
Josephs, formerly of
S=3 back into that of
Southfield, is an
attorney living in
a 13-year-old."
New York with her
This challenge
•
husband and two
also proved to be
children.
a delight for
Wagner because
"the story is not
about the darker
'Et BIG opens
side of being a
Tuesday, Feb. 13,
teen-ager — it's
and will run
about the joy."
through March 10.
Wagner can't
Performances are
remember
an-
at 8 p.m. Tues-
other
show
that
days-Fridays, 2
was so much fun
and 8 p.m. Satur-
to work on. "All
days, 2 and 7:30 The BIG key element.
the
people in-
p.m. Sundays. Pre-
volved
with
this
musical
had to
views are Feb. 13-15, with prices
undertake
an
exploration
of
their
ranging from $22.50-$52.50. Reg-
past and the magical moments
ular tickets are $25-$55. Call
from their adolescence."
(810) 645-6666.

BIG

• All scene changes are open —
Josh transforms from a 13-year-
old to a 35-year-old and back
again in front of the audience.

• The piano is 36 feet long — 6
sections each measuring 6 feet.

BIGGER

• A 16-feet-tall stuffed giraffe
and a 14-feet-tall bear — the
largest stuffed bear in the
world — are in the FAO
Schwarz scene.

BIGGEST

• Over 1,000 toys are used in the
production.

• There are 68 Tony Award nom-
inations among those involved
with BIG.

• 34 Tony Awards have been won
by those associated with this
musical.

