The Fantasticks

The Fantasticks is a 1960 musical comedy with music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones. It is loosely based on a story called "The Romancers" ("Les Romanesques") by Edmond Rostand.

It premiered in the small New York City off-Broadway theater Sullivan Street Playhouse on May 3, 1960, featuring Jerry Orbach in the role of the narrator. By the time it closed on January 13, 2002, there had been 17,162 performances. It is the world's longest-running musical, and the longest-running show of any kind in the United States.

The musical takes place in a suburban town in the United States. A boy (Matt Hucklebee) and a girl (Luisa Bellamy) fall in love, but their fathers oppose their relationship because they are in constant argument believing that they are ruining each other's gardens. The musical features a narrator (El Gallo), who later becomes a man who tries unsuccessfully to seduce the girl. In the end the children and their fathers settle their differences. The musical features several light duets by the fathers, as well as the song "Try To Remember", sung by El Gallo, which has since been covered by many well-known popular singers. Other songs include "Much More" and "Soon It's Gonna Rain".

External link

The Fantasticks Official Website (http://www.thefantasticks.com/)