THE FANTASTICKS: Should Have Played More Than One Weekend

The Fantasticks brought things close to the audience in the ball room at the Arts Renaissance Center in Huntington for a four day run starting on Thursday Aug. 11 and finishing  on Sunday Aug. 14.

The Fantasticks based on a book and lyrics from Tom Jones and music by Harvey Schmidt opened in May of 1960 and is still running in New York City making it the longest running production of kind in the history of American theatre.

With a limited stage,  nine actors and a production staff directed by Stephen Vance makes The Fantasticks perform on a local level at the Arts Renaissance Center.   A dinner before the play was also available.

The nine actors are  Mike Murdock playing El Gallo/Narrator;  Kristin Caviani playing Luisa; Owen Reynolds playing Matt; Mark near playing Hucklebee; Bill Neal playing Bellomy; Dylan Clark playing Henry; Erik Woods playing Mortimer; Patrick Taylor playing the mute and Tawny Burdine is the accompanist.

People in the front row seats  are literally at times inches away from the actors and close enough to hear them breathing especially if there is been some strenuous portrayals like sword fighting.   The audience  may even be brushed by a cape going through the air.

The play has two fathers trying to get their teenagers  to fall in love.   There is a plot to do that and it works, at first, then falls apart and then the two come back together at the end.

The Fantasticks is  a good story with romance, conflict, evil and good to intrigue the audience.   On Friday night the audience was so intrigued by the show that no one was observed leaving their seat except at the intermission.

This is an excellent play and well done on the by the actors  and  Director Stephen Vance and his staff.   The Fantasticks  would have to considered  as  one of directors Vance's best to date.

The only thing  wrong about this production  was that The Fantasticks did not run for another two or three weeks so more people could see it.