Despite illness among the cast and a constrained two-performance schedule, ‘Big Fish’ defied expectations with two sold-out audiences Friday and Saturday night.

Under the direction of Bill Jacob and Caitlin Johnson, and with musical direction by Max Holman, when the curtain rose, there was no trace of sickness in the cast or crew, delivering a seamless and memorable performance.

“I believe it was a rocky start, since seeing as it was the first time we ever had to cancel a dress rehearsal, an opening night, and a matinee,” Jacob said. “I think it was the prettiest show we’d ever had in a long time.”

The musical centers around Will Bloom (played by Kyle Terino ’24), a reporter and a concrete thinker, who has difficulties connecting with his dying father, Edward Bloom (Huck Jennings ’25), who tells outrageous stories about his life. Shifting between two timelines, the musical revolves around the relationship between the two characters.

Leading up to the show, Jennings was sick with a virus, which he said hampered his opening performance.

“There have been a lot of times people have gotten sick, but that happened before the show and they were able to come back in time,” Terino said. :Also, the fact that we had Thursday off before the show Friday made me nervous. But I think that the quality of the show turned just as good as I would have expected it to be, regardless. I’m really happy about it.”