You Can Fish All You Want…
nytheatre.com review by Debbie Hoodiman
July 23, 2005
It’s funny, short, a little corny, and a little magical. Best of all, it takes place in a beautiful public garden on 104th Street just west of Central Park, full of tall green plants, trees, herbs, and flowers.
You Can Fish All You Want, But the Sea Always Wins in the End is a free show written by Brian P.J. Cronin and directed by Arthur Aulisi. Although the show is written primarily for children, some of its wit is there for the adults in the audience. It is a tale about telling a tall tale, the tall tale being about a ten-year-old boy who goes on an underwater adventure with a gang of turtles and a whale after his grandfather is arrested and made to work at an aquarium. On his adventure, he finds out more than he ever knew about the deep ocean, teaches a sad whale he’s not alone in the world, and gets to dance with a jellyfish. The show also, at one point, asks for participation from some very willing children.
Throughout the play, the actors move throughout the garden and the audience follows them to different locations. Matt Borgmeyer plays music on the mandolin to accompany the action. Borgmeyer’s music is warm and uplifting and fits with the mood of the play very well.
The costumes, designed by Becky Lasky, are whimsical and creative. I loved the turtles in loose-fitting dresses with bright shells. I loved the whale’s horn and the giant squid. Nick Turner as the Whale and Marshall York as the Cop/Young Fernando stood out among this very lively and talented cast.
