The longest running musical of all time, The Fantasticks, has just hit a new milestone. The moonlit tale of a boy, a girl, two fathers, a wall, a box full of actors and a bandit hit a record breaking 21,000 performances on Monday. The show, while technically Off-Broadway because of seating capacity, originally starring Jerry Orbach (Chicago, 42nd Street, Law & Order) as the lead El Gallo, now plays out a Broadway theater bearing the actors name. Written by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt (both of which also wrote I Do! I Do!) the show’s simple yet mesmerizing score and poetic book and lyrics has been charming audiences all around the world for over 55 years. Based off of Edmond Rostand’s play Les Romanesques, which itself is loosely (very loosely) based on Romeo & Juliet, tells the story of two romantics who dream themselves star crossed lovers and the plot to cross and uncross them.
The current cast of the The Fantasticks includes:
Michael Halling as the Narrator (El Gallo)
Daniel Berryman as The Boy (Matt)
Samantha Bruce as The Girl (Luisa)
William Thomas Evans as The Boy’s Father (Huckabee)
Dale Hensley as The Girl's Father (Bellomy)
MacIntyre Dixon as The Old Actor (Henry)
Michael Nostrand as The Man Who Dies (Mortimer)
Drew Seigla as The Mute
Featuring:
Tom Flagg
Rita Markova
Dave Schoonover.
With music provided by:
Robert Felstein -- Musical Director/Pianist
Maria Banks is the Harpist.
Paul Blankenship serves as Stage Manager
John Thomas Waite serves Assistant Stage Manager
The Fantasticks is produced by Al Parinello and Catherine Russell.
The Fantasticks runs Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays at 8PM, Wednesdays at 2PM, Saturdays at 2PM & 8PM and Sundays at 3PM & 7:30PM at at The Jerry Orbach Theater in the Snapple Theater Center, 210 West 50th Street at Broadway.
Tickets run $76.50 for general admission with front row seats going for $126.50. Students get in for $36.50 before evening performances. You can buy tickets by calling the box office at (212) 921-7862, or at www.Ticketmaster.com. You can also visit the box office at the Snapple Theater Center.
One a personal note: I am very proud to be able to say that The Fantasticks is on my resume of (community) theater roles. It was indeed an honor to get a chance to perform the role that the great Jerry Orbach originated. I am even prouder to say that I am gearing up to perform my second run as El Gallo. But perhaps the greatest joy is getting to sing some of the show’s timeless tunes with my three year old, who now randomly burst out in with “soon it's going to rain,” or “round and round.” There is a good reason that The Fantasticks has reached 21,000 Off-Broadway performances. If you haven’t seen it, go. If you have seen it, go again. The world is definitely a better place for having The Fantasticks in it. I give my thanks and congratulations to anyone involved in this wonderful production. Here's to the next 21,000.
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