The Other Palace, London

Playing till New Year’s Eve 2017

Reporter Will Bloom discovers that his father is dying and tries to reconcile why he has to tell such tall tales in this musical version of Daniel Wallace’s 1998 novel.

John August must really like this story. Having already adapted it for Tim Burton’s 2003 movie with Albert Finney and Ewan McGregor, he has also written the book to accompany Andrew Lippa’s music and lyrics. After a limited tryout in Chicago and Broadway in 2013, it hits the London stage with Kelsey (Frasier) Grammer in the Finney role. And what a lovely treat it is.

Tim Burton’s movie was accused of being overly saccharine and fanciful, and it’s true that the fantastical elements in this musical are larger than life in every aspect. Featuring a basic hospital ward/room set, great use is made of the plain walls onto which is projected  mysterious woods, the deck of a boat, a circus big top, etc. And because the stories being conveyed are fanciful flashbacks, it doesn’t matter that they exist in a state of heightened reality.

Grammer is good fun as the irascible elder Bloom, and while his singing voice isn’t so strong, he’s surrounded by great singers, notably Jamie Muscato as the young Edward. Forbes Masson has almost too much fun as ringmaster Amos and the Trump-like Don. Instead of aping Danny DeVito’s movie version,  his lunatic (literally) lycanthrope is a comedy highlight.

While none of the tunes are ear worms, they serve the story well – Red, White and True being a big production number, and the emotional How it Ends is likely to leave a tear in your eye. Act One finale Daffodils is particularly moving, finishing with the stage showered in yellow petals.

The Other Palace is one of London’s smaller theatres, sitting at Victoria alongside such monsters as Wicked and Hamilton. One wonders what attracted Grammer to London to play to such small crowds, but maybe the intimacy with the audience won him over, coupled with the good-natured and uplifting material.

Verdict: Big Fish never cried out to be a musical, and certainly some of the songs feel like they’re here to fulfil a quota, but this story has a huge heart and an emotional punch. With a limited run, this is a minnow rather than a whopper and won’t be worrying Les Mis or Phantom in the long-running stakes. If you can catch it you’ll be glad this wasn’t the one that got away. 7/10

Nick Joy