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It's Still 'Fantastick'

By Matt Windman

August 23, 2006

Martin Vidnovic, Santino Fontana, Sara Jean Ford, Leo Burmester, and (foreground) Burke Moses, as El Gallo, in 'The Fantasticks,' the story about a boy, a girl, and their fathers - who plot to get them together by keeping them apart. (Newsday/Ari Mintz)

This fall marks the return of three extremely long-running musicals: "A Chorus Line," "Les Miserables" and "The Fantasticks." Though slight changes will be made, the staging and design of each musical will remain the same. After all, if the show is the same artistically, it will probably succeed again economically.

From 1960 to 2002, "The Fantasticks" played 17,162 performances at off-Broadway's Sullivan Street Theater. Officially, it is the world's longest running musical. It also stands out for launching the "small musical movement," which is seen today in offbeat shows like "Avenue Q" and "Spelling Bee."

But for what "The Fantasticks" lacks in size, it makes up for in the beauty of its timeless score and heart-filled fable. It is, in fact, the perfect first musical for any child to see.

Its theme of lost innocence is first introduced by El Gallo, a mysterious narrator, in the musical's famous opening song "Try to Remember." Through him, we watch as young Luisa and Matt promptly fall in love, only to learn that their mutual attraction occurred due to a clever and complex plot concocted by their fathers. In time, both mature, learn the realities of love, and finally return to each other.

Since the Sullivan Theater is now a condominium, the revival has opened at Midtown's new Snapple Theater Center. Unlike most revivals of "The Fantasticks" that take place on a proscenium stage, the Snapple space has been reconfigured to match the Sullivan Street Theater's three-quarter architecture. The two-person orchestra of piano and harp is also intact and the songs -- a melodious but challenging score by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt -- sound divine.

The new cast makes a fine ensemble. Burke Moses, who originated Gaston in "Beauty and the Beast," brings the right masculine charm to El Gallo. (The role was originated by the late Jerry Orbach.) Sara Jean Ford and Santino Fontana are sweetly compelling as the pair of young, wounded lovers. And lyricist Tom Jones (billed under the alias Thomas Bruce) is a sheer delight as the aging Shakespearian actor Henry, the role he originated.

This is essentially a carbon copy of the original production, but there is one exception: "The Rape Song." As its naughty title implies, this creative but potentially offensive song has been edited into "The Pay Song." The music is the same, but the lyrics are tame and humorless. But except for that one unfortunate change, this is a very competent revival that brings back the show's extraordinary quality. It does not feel dated and apparently had no need for a reconceived staging. If it's not broken, why fix it?

Snapple Theater Center, 210 50th St, 212-307-4100, $75. Mon 8:30pm, Wed 2:30pm, Thurs-Fri 8:30pm, Sat 2:30 & 8:30pm, Sun 3:30 & 7:30pm. Open Run