A Little History of the show
The idea for a musical based on the now classic 1988 Tom Hanks film initially came from actress Didi Conn, wife of composer David Shire. At first, the composer balked at the idea, but after his longtime collaborator Richard Maltby, jr. penned lyrics for a song called "I Want to Know, sung by a young Josh as he wonders what awaits him in adulthood, the writing team decided that that sense of longing could be the show's emotional center.
Maltby and Shire played the score for Mike Ockrent in January of 1994, and he agreed to direct. Book writer John Weidman and choreographer Susan Stroman completed the creative team. The cast featured Daniel Jenkins, Crista Moore, Brett Tabisel, and Barbara Walsh.
BIG had its out-of-town tryout in Detroit in February of 1996, and it was a rocky one. Between the Detroit engagement and the New York opening, four songs were added to the first act, two songs were substantially altered, and the main character of Josh was also largely rewritten.
When the show opened at the Shubert Theater in New York on April 28, 1996, the general feeling was that the problems identified on the road had been addressed. Still, the show could not achieve the large scale success of the movie and closed after six months, on October 13th, 1996.
But that was not the end of the road for BIG. PACE Theatricals announced a 40 week tour, and Maltby and Shire welcomed the chance to revisit the work and "unwrite", as they put it, and return to a "simpler way of doing things." Many songs were replaced by earlier ones seen in the workshop. The tour starred Jim Newman, Judy McClane, Jacqueline Piro and Broadway veteran Ron Holgate. Brett Tabisel also reprised his Tony-nominated role as Josh's best friend, Billy.
The tour launched in September 1997, and was directed by Eric Schaeffer.
big is so exuberantly gifted, it gives you the helium high of a balloon flight... It worked as a movie. It works as a show."
-New York Times
"Big heart, big talent, and a really big show." -WABC-TV
"The ideal family musical." -USA Today"
Highlights of Major Awards Won:
1996 Tony® Award nominee
Best Book of a Musical -- John Weidman
1996 Tony® Award nominee
Best Original Score -- Music by David Shire; Lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr.
1996 Tony® Award nominee
Best Actress in a Musical -- Crista Moore
1996 Tony® Award nominee
Best Featured Actor in a Musical -- Brett Tabisel
1996 Tony® Award nominee
Best Choreography -- Susan Stroman
1996 Theatre World Award winner
Best Debut Performance -- Brett Tabisel
1996 Drama Desk Award nominee
Outstanding Actor in a Musical -- Daniel Jenkins
1996 Drama Desk Award nominee
Outstanding Actress in a Musical -- Crista Moore
1996 Drama Desk Award nominee
Outstanding Book of a Musical -- John Weidman
1996 Drama Desk Award nominee
Outstanding Choreography -- Susan Stroman
1996 Drama Desk Award nominee
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical -- Brett Tabisel
1996 Drama Desk Award nominee
Outstanding Music -- David Shire
1996 Drama Desk Award nominee
Outstanding Lyrics -- Richard Maltby, Jr.
1996 Drama Desk Award nominee
Outstanding Orchestrations -- Douglas Besterman
1996 Drama Desk Award nominee
Outstanding Set Design-- Musical -- Robin Wagner
1996 Drama Desk Award nominee
Outstanding Musical -- big, The Musical
1996 Outer Critics Circle Award nominee
Best Broadway Musical -- big, The Musical
All information supplied by MTI
