The Fantasticks (PG Players)

 

This musical still holds the record as the longest running musical in musical theater history. It was first produced off-Broadway at the Sullivan Street Playhouse and opened on May 3,1960 and ran for 41 years & 8 months (17,162 performances) and closed on January 13, 2002. The show's producer, Lore Noto kept the show going until it found its audience, a rare thing in professional theater. It went on to win an off-Broadway Obie Award and a special Tony Award in 1992. The musical was created by Tom Jones (Book and Lyrics) and Harvey Schmidt (Music); adapted for the stage from the play "The Romancers" by Edmond Rostand.

This musical has never been one of my favorites. It is very dated and its simplistic and black & white view of life is problematic and filled with metaphors and symbols that can easily be misinterpreted. I have to congratulate the Pleasant Grove Arts Commission and director's Howard and Kathyrn Little for a job well done in rising above these issues and producing a very well-paced and easy to interpret production of this musical.

The production elements were simple and beautiful. Congratulations to Tina McClelland Fontana for her Scenic, Costume & Properties design, Steve Heywood's Tree design, and Mike Handy's truck construction. The rest of the production elements were outstanding: Howard Little (Lighting) and Kathryn Little (Sound & Music Direction), and Rebecca Boberg's simple choreography.

The ensemble were all outstanding in their performances. Caleb Wallengren (Matt) and Rebecca Boberg (Luisa) had perfect chemistry and worked well together to portray the innocence and later maturity by the end of the show. Their voices blended beautifully throughout Harvey Shmidt's wonderful score. One of the key controversies in this musical takes place in the second act. Luisa is abducted and raped by the narrator of the piece, El Gallo. It is usually presented in most productions as a waltz, burying this moment in metaphor and symbolism, but also, the role of El Gallo is usually portrayed by an actor that is older than Luisa which adds to the uncomfortable nature of this scene. The directors of this production cast an actor in this role that is very similar in age to the actress playing Luisa, which made it so much more comfortable for the audience to deal with. I applaud Howard and Kathryn for this casting choice. The wonderful Dallin Bradford portrays this role, which also doubles as the show's narrator with maturity, moral courage, and vulnerability. His portrayal moved and touched me deeply. Rob Holcombe (Hucklebee, Matt's Father) and Candace Wright (Bellomy, Luisa's mother) made a great team as they both team together to push their two children together. The role of Bellomy is actually supposed to be Luisa's father, but this change actually added a different dimension to the character as well as a balance between the two parents. It was nice and refreshing to see that take. Both actors played these roles with tenderness, love and strength. I enjoyed their performances immensely. The remaining members of the ensemble, Dennis R. Purdie (Henry) & Kirk Baxter (Mortimer), the two traveling performers and Daisy Art Bailey (the Mute) all gave spectacular performances.

As a whole, this was the first time I actually enjoyed a production of this musical. I left happy, satisfied, and deeply moved by my experience. Thank you, PG Players, for a wonderful evening out at the theatre.