Andrew Lippa and I did an interview for Big Fish about our collaboration. We recorded it in the lobby of the Oriental Theater while the show was playing, so in the background you can hear Kate Baldwin singing “I Don’t Need a Roof” from the second act.
Big Fish
Big Fish Rush
Big Fish starts previews in Chicago tomorrow, April 2nd. Eep.
A bunch of readers asked about rush tickets, so I asked our general manager, who asked Broadway in Chicago, who consulted the great oracle of all things ticket-related. Here’s the official word:
> **$25 Student/Senior/Military/Industry Rush Tickets**
> A limited number of rush tickets will be available for all performances. Tickets will be available at the Oriental Theatre box office on the day of the performance only. Limit of 2 tickets per valid ID. Cash or Credit.
As I’ve said before, if you’re coming, let me know [on Twitter](http://twitter.com/johnaugust) or by [email](mailto:ask@johnaugust.com). Tell me your dates/times/seat numbers, and if I can I will stop by and say hi.
Tech Starts, Time Stops
I’m in Chicago, where it’s the first day of tech rehearsal for Big Fish. Lights, sound, sets, props, costumes, VFX — everything has to be painstakingly tweaked and coordinated. In film terms, it’s like production and post-production happening simultaneously.
In other words, it takes a while.
Quite fittingly for a day of slow motion, EW.com has the [exclusive first listen](http://popwatch.ew.com/2013/03/18/listen-to-a-song-from-new-big-fish-musical-exclusive/) at a song from our show: Time Stops. It’s a duet between Norbert Leo Butz (as Edward Bloom) and Kate Baldwin (Sandra), written by Andrew Lippa.
If you’re familiar with the movie, you can probably guess where this song takes place, but I won’t spoil how it actually emerges in the scene. Suffice to say we’ll be spending many hours of tech getting it just right.
From book to movie to musical to commercial
My college professors will be happy to know that roughly 20 years after getting my advertising degree, I finally wrote a television commercial. This 15-second Big Fish spot is airing in Chicago now:
To be fair, I didn’t write those words as advertising copy — they’re actually from the script. Our hard-working marketing team put it all together, using music from Andrew Lippa’s amazing score and voiceover by Bobby Steggert, who plays Will.
Reminder that if you’re coming to see Big Fish in Chicago — on any night in the run — [tweet me](http://twitter.com/johnaugust) or [email me](mailto:ask@johnaugust.com) your date and seat. I will endevour to come by and say hello.
Performances begin April 2nd. As of this morning, there are still some of the [special $26 balcony seats](http://johnaugust.com/2013/big-fish-previews-and-special-unlock-code) available for the first four shows.