The Fantasticks

The Fantasticks
The Fantasticks
Fantasticks.jpg
Original Off-Broadway cast album cover
Music Harvey Schmidt
Lyrics Tom Jones
Book Tom Jones
Basis Les Romanesques by Edmond Rostand
Productions 1960 Off-Broadway
2006 Off-Broadway revival
2010 West End

The Fantasticks is a 1960 musical with music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones. It was produced by Lore Noto. It tells an allegorical story, loosely based on the play "The Romancers" ("Les Romanesques") by Edmond Rostand,[1] concerning two neighboring fathers who trick their children, Luisa and Matt, into falling in love by pretending to feud and erecting a wall between their houses. The fathers then hire traveling actors to stage a mock abduction, so that Matt can heroically seem to save Luisa, settling the supposed feud and securing their fathers' blessings (which of course the young lovers have really had all along). After the children discover the deception, they reject the arranged love match. Each goes off to experience the wider world. They return to each other bruised but enlightened by their journeys, realizing that they have always been in love, and renew their vows with more maturity. Elements of the play are ultimately drawn from the story of Pyramus and Thisbe, its story winding its way through Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream as well as Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore and Rostand's play.

The show's original off-Broadway production ran a total of 42 years and 17,162 performances, making it the world's longest-running musical.[2] It was awarded Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre in 1991. The poetic book and breezy, inventive score, including such familiar songs as "Try to Remember," helped make this show so durable. Many productions followed, as well as television and film versions. The Fantasticks has also become a staple of regional, community, and high school productions virtually since its premiere, with approximately 250 new productions each year. It is played with a small cast, two-person orchestra and minimalist set design. Among many revivals, the show re-opened off-Broadway in 2006. As of 2010, its original investors have earned 240 times their original investments.[3] The musical has played throughout the U.S. and in at least 67 foreign countries.[4]

Contents

Background

The 1954 Marc Blitzstein adaptation of The Threepenny Opera, which ran for six years, showed that musicals could be profitable off-Broadway in a small-scale, small orchestra format. This was confirmed in 1959 when a revival of Jerome Kern and P. G. Wodehouse's Leave It to Jane ran for more than two years. The 1959-1960 Off-Broadway season included a dozen musicals and revues including Little Mary Sunshine, The Fantasticks, and Ernest in Love, a musicalization of Oscar Wilde's 1895 hit The Importance of Being Earnest.[5]

Productions

Early productions

The play's first version was as "Joy Comes to Deadhorse" at the University of New Mexico in 1956.[citation needed] After substantial rewriting, it appeared on a bill of new one-act plays at Barnard College for one week in August 1959.

Original Off-Broadway production

The Fantasticks premiered at the Sullivan Street Playhouse, a small off-Broadway theater in New York City's Greenwich Village, on May 3, 1960, with Jerry Orbach as El Gallo, Rita Gardner as Luisa, Kenneth Nelson as Matt, and librettist Tom Jones (under a pseudonym) as the Old Actor, among the cast members. The sparse set and semicircular stage created an intimate and immediate effect. The play is highly stylized and combines old-fashioned showmanship, classic musical theatre, commedia dell'arte and Noh theatrical traditions. The original production was directed by Word Baker and was produced on a very low budget. The producers spent $900 on the set[6] and $541 on costumes, at a time when major Broadway shows would cost $250,000. The original set designer, costumer, prop master, and lighting designer was Ed Wittstein, who performed all four jobs for a total of only $480 plus $24.48 a week.[7] The set was similar to that for "Our Town"; Wittstein designed a raised stationary platform anchored by six poles.[6] It resembled a traveling players' wagon, like a pageant wagon. As for a curtain, he hung different small false curtains across the platform at various times during the play. He also made a sun/moon out of cardboard. One side was painted bright yellow (the sun) and the other was black with a crescent of white (the moon). The sun/moon was hung from a nail in one of the poles and is referred to in the libretto. The orchestra consists of a piano and sometimes also a harp, with the harpist also sometimes playing some percussion instruments.

The production closed on January 13, 2002 after 17,162 performances. It is the world's longest-running musical and the longest-running uninterrupted show of any kind in the United States.[8][9][10]

Notable actors who appeared in the off-Broadway and touring production throughout its long run included Liza Minnelli, Elliott Gould, F. Murray Abraham, Glenn Close, Keith Charles, Kristin Chenoweth, Bert Convy, Eileen Fulton, Lore Noto (the show's long-time producer), Dick Latessa, and Martin Vidnovic.[11]

1961 and 1990 London productions

The musical ran at London's Apollo Theatre from September 7, 1961 and ran for 44 performances.[12] In 1990, another production was given in London's Regent's Park at the Open Air Theatre there.[13]

Off-Broadway revival

On August 23, 2006, a revival of The Fantasticks opened at the off-Broadway Snapple Theater Center, New York City where it continues to run. It was directed by lyricist Jones, who also appeared in the role of Henry, The Old Actor, under the stage name Thomas Bruce. The original cast of the revival also included Burke Moses, Leo Burmester, Martin Vidnovic, Santino Fontana and Sara Jean Ford, with Dorothy Martin at the piano and Erin Hill at the harp.[14] A cast recording of this production was released by Ghostlight Records.

Anthony Fedorov assumed the role of Matt from May through July 2007. Margaret Anne Florence played Luisa from July through December 2008.[15] Lewis Cleale played El Gallo between 2008 and 2010[16][17] Tom Jones left the cast in 2010, after the musical had celebrated its 50th anniversary.[18] Pop star Aaron Carter joined the cast as Matt in November 2011.[19] In memory of the original El Gallo, the theatre in which the revival is performed has been renamed the Jerry Orbach theatre.[3]

Washington DC Production

The musical was presented by the Arena Stage in Washington DC from November 20, 2009 to January 10, 2010, at the Lincoln Theatre. The well-received production replaced the conventional "mysterious bandit" interpretation of El Gallo with a kindly carnival magician character. Washington Post theatre critic Peter Marks wrote, "they have been reconditioned to conceal the telltale signs of age and yield a diversion that feels fresh and alive again".[20][21]

2010 West End production

The Fantasticks played for a short period in London's West End at the Duchess Theatre, opening on June 9, 2010, following previews from May 24, 2010.[22][23] The production was directed by Amon Miyamoto, designed by Rumi Matsui with lighting by Rick Fisher and starred Clive Rowe, Edward Petherbridge and David Burt.[24][25] The production received mostly poor reviews. Critic Michael Billington, for example, wrote, "the time for this kind of faux-naïf, sub Commedia dell'Arte diversion has passed".[24][25]

The musical closed on June 26, 2010, less than three weeks into its run; it had been booking to September 5.[26][27]

International productions

The Fantasticks has been seen in 67 countries, from Afghanistan to Iran to Zimbabwe. Japan, New Zealand, Germany, Australia, Saudi Arabia and Israel have all seen multiple productions.[28] It has been translated into many languages including French, German, Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish, Japanese, Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew, Czech, Slovak, Persian and Dari, Pashto, Irish, Italian, Hungarian, Thai, and Mandarin.

Other productions

According to The New York Times, "The Fantasticks is one of the most widely produced [musicals] in the world, with more than 11,000 productions to date in 3,000 cities and towns in all 50 states, as well as in 67 countries.[29] The Fantasticks has been performed at The White House, for the Peace Corps in Africa, at the Shawnee Mission in Kansas, the Menninger Foundation, Olympian Fields, Yellowstone National Park and the White Sands Missile Range.[30] It was performed in Mandarin by the Peking Opera, and in 1990 under the auspices of the United States State Department it played for the first time in Russia.[28]

Famous actors, other than those listed above, who have performed in productions of the show include David Canary, Robert Goulet, Richard Chamberlain, John Carradine and Ed Ames.[30]

Television and film

An abbreviated version of the show was broadcast by the Hallmark Hall of Fame on October 18, 1964. The cast included John Davidson, Stanley Holloway, Bert Lahr, Ricardo Montalban and Susan Watson, who had appeared in the original Barnard College production.

A feature film directed by Michael Ritchie was completed in 1995 but not released until 2000. It starred Joel Grey, Brad Sullivan, Jean Louisa Kelly, Barnard Hughes, Jonathon Morris and Joey McIntyre.

Plot

Act I

Two houses are separated by a wall in an unspecified American town (Overture).

The mysterious El Gallo then sings about love and September (Try to Remember). He then begins to explain the plot of the play. Matt and Luisa live next door, and fall in love. However, their fathers are feuding and order them not to speak. Luisa then stands and sings about the things she wants to do in her life (Much More). Matt then rises and delivers a speech about Luisa and how he is in love with her. He then discovers that Luisa is on the other side of the wall, he proceeds to sing about his love to her in a very exaggerated, superficial way (Metaphor). Matt and Luisa end the song on either side of the wall and speak of Luisa's vision of Matt saving her from kidnapping. Matt's father then appears, and speaks of his life and idea of life. He sees Matt and informs him of his new wife. He then orders Matt inside and follows. Luisa's Father then enters and speaks of his life and what his idea of life is. He then orders Luisa inside. He then calls to Hucklebee, and the audience learns that they are actually best friends, whose feud is only a ruse designed—on the theory that kids always pursue whatever is forbidden them—to bring their children together romantically. They then proceed to sing about how to control children, by saying no (Never Say No). Huck tells Bell of his plan to end the feud, by having Luisa "kidnapped" by a professional and then being saved by Matt.

The hired professional, El Gallo (also the narrator, and "Puppet Master" of the show), appears on cue to enumerate, in song (It Depends on What You Pay), all the different varieties of "rape" – in the archaic sense of an abduction or kidnapping – he can simulate. Deciding to spare no expense for their beloved children, the Fathers agree to a "first class" rape. After the fathers leave the stage, Henry and Mortimer appear to help with the fake kidnapping. Henry and Mortimer are old actors who are much past their prime, and are frequently confused as to what is going on.

Following that, Matt and Luisa walk on stage, and speak and sing of their love, and their dreamed life (Soon It's Gonna Rain). After the conclusion of the song, the fake kidnapping occurs (Rape Ballet); Matt easily "defeats" Henry, Mortimer and El Gallo; and the feud is ended, with the children and the fathers joined in a picturesque final tableau (Happy Ending). El Gallo then rises to comments on the Tableau, wondering how long the characters will be able to maintain their elaborately joyful poses. He and the Mute exit.

Act II

As predicted by El Gallo, the second act opens with the children and fathers still posed as before, but visibly shaky and exhausted from the effort. El Gallo enters, observing that what was seemed romantic by moonlight may lose its charm when exposed to the harsh light of day. He changes the moon to the sun, and exits.

The Fathers and Children immediately begin to complain about one another, singing about all the flaws which have become glaringly visible by daylight (This Plum is too Ripe). The children try to "recreate the moonlight" by acting falsely romantic, which drives the fathers to distraction. In a fit of pique, Hucklebee tells them that their kidnapping was a fake, and that the fathers were really friends all along. Matt and Luisa are mortified, and the fathers' mutual recrimination quickly escalates into a real feud; they storm off to their respective houses. El Gallo then enters, and Matt, in a desperate attempt to regain his honor and Luisa's love, challenges him to a duel. El Gallo disarms Matt easily and then leaves the stage. Matt and Luisa then argue fiercely, saying what they really think of each other. El Gallo then re-enters and tells the audience that Matt must leave to experience the world.

Matt then sings with El Gallo about his vision of the world, while El Gallo sings of what it really is to the audience (I Can See It). Henry and Mortimer then appear and lead Matt off into the real world.

A month then passes, and the Fathers have rebuilt the wall. They proceed to resolve the conflict and speak of their children; Luisa is like a statue and does nothing but sit around; Matt still hasn't returned. They then sing about the risks of children (Plant a Radish). After they exit, Luisa sings a short reprise of "Much More" and discovers that El Gallo is watching. She then asks him to take her to the world, and run away with her. She believes that it is romantic, and he agrees to and they then sing of their future life, while Matt is being beaten by Henry and Mortimer in the Background, which is a metaphor for the world hurting him. This entire sequence has a severely dark underscore to it (Round and Round).

After the conclusion of the song, El Gallo tells Luisa to go pack her things, but asks for her treasured necklace, a relic of her dead mother, as a pledge that she will come. Matt begins to appear singing a reprise of "I Can See It" except while El Gallo tells Luisa of the world's grandness, he sings about what the world is really like to the audience. After Luisa leaves to go pack her things, El Gallo begins to leave, Matt makes a pitiful attempt to stop him from leaving and hurting Luisa, but El Gallo easily overpowers him, and knocks him unconscious. Luisa then returns to the stage and realizes that El Gallo has left her, and sits down in tears. El Gallo then appears behind the central action, and recites a poem about how he had to hurt Matt and Luisa to make them realize what love is, and how he hurt himself in the process. Matt then rises and tries to comfort Luisa, and he tells her what the world is really like, and the two realize that everything they wanted was each other (They Were You). Matt and Luisa then sing a reprise of Metaphor, with a deeper understanding of life.

The Fathers then return and are about to tear down the wall, when El Gallo reminds them that the Wall must stay (Try to Remember (Reprise)).

Characters

  • El Gallo (the Narrator/Bandit)
  • Matt (the Boy)
  • Luisa (the Girl)
  • Hucklebee (the Boy's father)
  • Bellomy (the Girl's father)
  • Henry (The Old Actor)
  • Mortimer (the man who dies - an actor, pretending to be an American Indian)
  • The Mute (who at times acts the part of the Wall)

Musical numbers

Act I
  • Overture
  • "Try to Remember" - El Gallo, Luisa, Matt, Hucklebee, Bellomy
  • "Much More" - Luisa
  • "Metaphor" - Matt, Luisa
  • "Never Say No" - Hucklebee, Bellomy
  • "It Depends On What You Pay" - El Gallo, Hucklebee, Bellomy
    • alternately: "Abductions" - El Gallo, Hucklebee, Bellomy
  • "Soon It's Gonna Rain" - Matt, Luisa
  • "Rape Ballet" (changed to "Abduction Ballet") - Company
  • "Happy Ending" - Company
Act II
  • "This Plum Is Too Ripe" - Matt, Luisa, Hucklebee, Bellomy
  • "I Can See It" - Matt, El Gallo
  • "Plant A Radish" - Hucklebee, Bellomy
  • "Round And Round" - El Gallo, Luisa, Company
  • "They Were You" - Matt, Luisa
  • "Try to Remember" - El Gallo

Controversy

Although the musical was a success, The Fantasticks' book became somewhat controversial due to its repeated use of the word "rape." In the original production, when El Gallo offers to stage the phony kidnapping of Luisa, he refers to the proposed event as a "rape", although he makes it clear that he uses the word only in its traditional literary sense (Latin "rapere") of "abduction", explaining that many classical works, including Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock, use the word in this sense. (See raptio and bride kidnapping.) In his song "It Depends on What You Pay" he describes different kidnapping scenarios—some comic or outlandish—that he classifies as the "Venetian rape", the "Gothic rape", the "Drunken rape", etc. However, as the public issues of rape and sexual assault became more of a delicate subject during the play's long run, some people in the audience became puzzled by the use of the word.

To deal with changing audience perceptions, the book is sometimes edited to replace the word "rape" with alternatives such as "abduction" or the similar-sounding "raid." In addition, in 1990, Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, the authors, wrote an optional replacement piece called "Abductions", which uses the music of the "Rape Ballet" (although this song did not replace "It Depends on What You Pay" at the Sullivan Street Playhouse, where, with the edits made in the book, audiences did not seem to have much difficulty in accepting the song).[31] MTI (Music Theater International), which licenses the show, has made "Abductions" available, both music and lyrics, as an alternate choice in the event of someone being offended by the word "rape".

Notes

  1. ^ The Fantasticks. MusicalHeaven.com
  2. ^ Official Website. Accessed June 16, 2010
  3. ^ a b Cochran, Jason. "'The Fantasticks' earned its investors a 24,000% return ... and counting". WalletPop.com, April 27, 2010
  4. ^ Gollust, Shelley and Jerilyn Watson. "The Fantasticks at 50". VOANews.com, May 23, 2010
  5. ^ Suskin, Steven. "On the Record: Ernest In Love, Marco Polo, Puppets and Maury Yeston". Playbill.com, August 10, 2003.
  6. ^ a b Farber and Viagas, p. 158
  7. ^ Farber and Viagas, p. 157
  8. ^ BWW News Desk. "London's 'The Fantasticks' to Close Early, 6/26". Westend.broadwayworld.com, June 14, 2010
  9. ^ "'The Fantasticks' listing" thefantasticks.com, retrieved June 16, 2010
  10. ^ Hernandez, Ernio. "Long Runs on Broadway", February 17, 2009, accessed June 16, 2010
  11. ^ Replacements list at official website, accessed June 16, 2009
  12. ^ The Fantasticks. BroadwayWorld, accessed June 16, 2010
  13. ^ Thisistheatre "'The Fantasticks' at the Duchess Theatre". Thisistheatre.com, retrieved June 16, 2010
  14. ^ "The_Fantasticks Welcome Back Old Friend". Broadwayworld.com, August 24, 2006
  15. ^ Hetrick, Adam. "Florence and Nostrand Join Cast of Off-Broadway's Fantasticks". Playbill.com, July 21, 2008, accessed August 16, 2010
  16. ^ "Cleale Returns to The Fantasticks, McDaniel Joins on June 29, BroadwayWorld.com, June 29, 2009.
  17. ^ Edward Watts is Fantasticks' New El Gallo; Cleale Departs 3/14, BroadwayWorld.com, March 9, 2010.
  18. ^ Hetrick, Adam. "Tom Jones to Depart The Fantasticks Off-Broadway June 6". Playbill.com, June 4, 2010
  19. ^ Hetrick, Adam. "The Fantasticks Welcomes Aaron Carter Nov. 7 Off-Broadway", November 7, 2011
  20. ^ Marks, Peter (November 30, 2009). "A 'Fantasticks' lesson in love". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/29/AR2009112902276.html. Retrieved December 19, 2009. 
  21. ^ Adams, Mark Lee (December 1, 2009). "Arena Stage The Fantasticks". ShowBizRadio. http://www.showbizradio.net/goto/4375. Retrieved December 19, 2009. 
  22. ^ Shenton, Mark. "'The Fantasticks'". Thestage.co.uk, June 10, 2010
  23. ^ Guilfoyle, Lizzie. "The Fantasticks posts closing notices". Indielondon.co.uk, retrieved June 16, 2010
  24. ^ a b Billington, Michael. "'The Fantasticks'". The Guardian, June 10, 2010
  25. ^ a b Taylor, Paul. "'The Fantasticks', Duchess Theatre, London". The Independent, June 11, 2010
  26. ^ "Fantasticks Posts Closing Notices at Duchess" whatsonstage.com, June 13, 2010
  27. ^ Shenton, Mark. "London's New Fantasticks to Shutter June 26". Playbill.com, June 14, 2010
  28. ^ a b Vincents, M.: "Amazing Facts About The Fantasticks", Go Articles, January 13, 2010
  29. ^ Healy, Patrick. "Fantasticks Pays Back for 50 Years". The New York Times, May 2, 2010
  30. ^ a b "The Fifth Decade!" Official Website, accessed June 16, 2010
  31. ^ Schmidt, p. 120

References

  • Farber, Donald C. and Viagas, Robert. The Amazing Story of 'The Fantasticks': America's Longest-Running Play, Hal Leonard Corporation, 2005, ISBN 0-87910-313-2
  • Schmidt, Harvey. Fantasticks, Hal Leonard Corporation, 1992, ISBN 1-55783-141-6

External links


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