The Fantasticks, which historically ran for 17,162 performances at the Sullivan Street Playhouse from 1960 to 2002, will return to New York in a new production at the Philip Bosakowski Theater's Primary Stages (354 W. 45th St., between 8th and 9th Avenues). Presented by WhiteStar Productions, the musical will run from August 19th through August 28th.
Directed by Brady Amoon, The Fantasticks will feature musical direction by Sheldon Forrest and choreography by Erika K. Crocco. An Equity showcase, it will feature Bekah Vega as the Girl, Joel Maki as the Boy, Douglas Leland as the Girl's Father, Gregg Lauterbach as the Boy's Father and Douglas Cochrane as El Gallo."The Fantasticks is a timeless coming-of-age story, revolving around
two young lovers who are brought together over their feuding
fathers'objections through the agency of a darkly romantic impresario,
El Gallo, The Narrator. The story unfolds inextricably within its
music, including some beautiful and deceptively simple songs that have
enmeshed themselves in the collective heart of our culture including
'Try to Remember,' 'Soon It's Gonna Rain,' 'Plant A Raddish,' and 'They
Were You,'" state production notes for the show.The Fantasticks features book and lyrics by Tom Jones and music by Harvey Schmidt (the team also wrote I Do! I Do!, 110 in the Shade, Celebration and others). Jones wrote in 1990 "…we wanted to celebrate romanticism and mock it at the same time. To touch people, and then make them laugh at the very thing that touched them. To make people laugh, and then to turn the laugh around, find the other side of it. To put two emotions side by side, as close together as possible, like a chord in music."
The Fantasticks' performance schedule is: August 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 27 evenings at 8:00 pm, and August 20, 21, 28 matinees at 2:00 pm. The 8/19 opening night performance is a Special Donor's event which includes a champagne reception and talkback with the cast, crew, and director. For that performance only, in addition to the $15.00 ticket price, a special charitable tax-deductible donation of $35.00 is requested. Two tickets can be purchased for $100 ($70 tax deductible contribution, $30 tax). Regular tickets for all other performances are $15, and can be purchased by visitingwww.TheaterMania.com, www.fantasticksnyc.com or by calling 212 352-3101 (order early, as seating is limited). Visit www.fantasticksnyc.com for more information.
