MOSES LAKE — The line between fantasy and reality, and the lines between generations, are woven together in the musical “Big Fish,” opening Friday at Moses Lake High School.

“It’s the story of fathers and sons and facing your own mortality,” said director Sharon Winningham.

“Big Fish” is based on the 2003 movie of the same name directed by Tim Burton. Traveling salesman Edward Bloom (Will Beck) is full of tall tales, and tells them at every opportunity. As Edward’s life nears its end, his down-to-earth son Will (Kaleb Stanberry), about to be a father himself with his wife Josephine (Haley Dalton), must sort out what’s real and what’s imaginary in his dad’s stories. The one certain thing is Edward’s devotion to his wife Sandra (Emma Leavitt), who must walk a tightrope between the two men she loves.

“Something that sounds so depressing and heavy is lightened by the fabulous, fantastic stories the father likes to tell,” Winningham said. “His son thinks (they’re) him lying and covering up, but in reality, it’s his way of trying to connect with the world, and connect with his son and make sense of things.”

Much of the story is told in flashbacks, with fifth-grader Will Zuver playing a young Will Bloom, listening to the fanciful tales of witches, circuses, mermaids and Edward’s friend, Karl the Giant (Bradford Shelton). 

“There’s a larger-than-life, what we could call campy feel to those fantastical stories, contrasting with the serious reality of what’s going on the other side of the script,” Winningham said.

“When I first started listening to (the score), I didn’t realize how deep of a story it was,” Vocal Director David Holloway said. “I was thinking it was just a fantastical tale of someone’s imagination, and then once I watched the whole thing, I was really intrigued and tapped into the meaning behind (the stories). It was a lot more touching than I expected.”

With some musicals made from movies, the songs can seem like they’re tacked on after the fact, but that’s not the case with “Big Fish,” Holloway said.

“The songs tell the story,” he said. “There are a lot of hidden pieces that you have to pay attention to the lyrics to catch. A lot of times you’ll get the meaning from the dialogue, but the story really comes through the music.”

The story contains some Easter eggs, Winningham said, some things that audience members might or might not notice. Including, she said with no added explanation, a bit with a watch.

“Look for pieces from the fantastical stories to show up in the real-world aspect of the storytelling,” she said. “I tried to bury those in a couple of places.”

Winningham has been waiting for her chance to produce “Big Fish” for years, she said, ever since she saw an excerpt at the Fifth Avenue Theatre Awards for high school drama in Seattle.

“One of the top five schools did a piece from ‘Big Fish,’” she said. “Sometimes a show will just click and I’m like, ‘Yes, I can see that on our stage with our kids.’ So I ordered a perusal and I’ve had it for years thinking, when can we do it? Do I have the singers to do it? Do we have the interest? And this was the first time it all lined up.”

The back-and-forth between the imaginary and the mundane is one that audiences can relate to, Winningham said.

“This is a story about being human,” she said.

‘Big Fish’

7 p.m. Nov. 13, 14, 16 and 17; 2 p.m. Nov. 14

Moses Lake High School

803 E. Sharon Ave.

bit.ly/MLHSTheatreBigFish26

Cast:

Edward Bloom: Will Beck

Will Bloom: Kaleb Stanberry

Sandra Bloom: Emma Leavitt

Josephine Bloom: Haley Dalton

Young Will: Will Zuver

Karl the Giant: Bradford Shelton

Jenny Hill: Ruby Nishida

Amos Calloway: Colson Stillwell

The Witch: Eve Fife

Don Price: Alberto Rivera

Zacky Price/Red Fang: Porter Hansen

Dr. Bennett: Eli Roylance

Mermaid: Magnolia Burke

Alabama Lambs: Skylar Holloway, Jaeley McHargue

General Patterson/Mayor/Fisherman: Iven Ellestad

Giant’s Girlfriend: Madeline Beck

OB/GYN Doctor: Penelope Cochrun

Scouts: Dallas Surface, Sterling Hardy

Ensemble: Mikilah Bare, Izzy Harden, Sarah LeFoll, William Bermudez, Daniel Sanchez-Maciel

Crew:

Stage manager: Yeislyn Delgado

Tech Lead: Madison Burress

Light Designer: Emma Heinzen

Sound Designer: Emma Diaz

Microphones: Sena Loiseau

Costumes: Ava Ward, Melanie Macomber

Spotlights: Ashley Biery, Vianney Lopez-Avalos

Stagehands: Janell Taylor-Mohs, Ace Bauer, Rio Ortón, Hayden Smith, Jane Fife

    Edward Bloom (Kaleb Stanberry, right) prepares to tell young his son Will (Will Zuver) a scary bedtime story over the objections of his wife Sandra (Emma Leavitt).
  

    From left: Zacky Price (Porter Hansen), Edward Bloom (Will Beck) and Don Price (Alberto Rivera) prepare to have their fortunes told by a witch (Eve Fife) in the Moses Lake High School production of “Big Fish.”
  

    Will Bloom (Kaleb Stanberry) dances with his bride Josephine (Haley Dalton) in the Moses Lake High School production of “Big Fish,” opening Friday.
  

    Sandra Bloom (Emma Leavitt, center) plays peacemaker between her husband Edward (Will Beck, left) and her son Will (Kaleb Stanberry) in Moses Lake High School’s production of “Big Fish.”
  

    Characters of imagination and memory mix in the Moses Lake High School production of “Big Fish” opening Friday.