This was my first time seeing ‘The Fantasticks’, (music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones), the American show that remains the world’s longest ever running musical. The statistics for this show are extraordinary. The original 1960’s off Broadway production ran for a total of 42 years with over 17,000 performances. Since its premiere, the play has been performed in more than 60 countries outside of America.
‘The Fantasticks’ is loosely based on the play ‘Les Romanesques’ (‘The Romantics’) by French playwright, Edmund Rostand. Everything turns on the scheme, devised by two neighbouring, ageing fathers, Bellomy and Hucklebee, to match-make their adolescent children, Luisa and Bellomy. Their scheme, which involves pretending to be feuding with each other, even to the point of erecting a large fence between the two houses, is premised on reverse psychology. Their theory is that adolescents will do anything to rebel against their parents…If they make out that they can’t stand each other than that will mean that their kids will do everything in the power to get together!
The defining quality of ‘The Fantasticks’ is that it is such a likeable play. The main features are the tongue in cheek narrative, the fine score including the classic ballad, ‘Try To Remember’ and the quirky song ‘Plant A Radish’ that makes the point that one can never tell how one’s children will turn out, and above all, the play’s playful tone. There’s more than a nod to ‘A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream’ in the shenanigans of Zorro like bandit El Gallo, and two veteran actors, Henry and Mortimer, well past their prime, who are called on to perform a scenario for the meddling parents.
Roger Gimblett’s current bright, entertaining revival serves the play well. Gimblett wins good performances from his cast. Andrew Fritz impressed as the sensual bandit/narrator, El Gallo. Zach La Cava and Katerina Vigh were in good voice and showed good stage presence in the romantic leads. Robert Green and Vincent O’Neill played the irascible fathers with an appealing light, comic touch. Timothy Bennett impressed as the hammy veteran Shakespearean actor, Henry, as did Michael Dowling as his scurrilous colleague Mortimer who won some good laughs out of the audience with his over the top death scene. Greg Thornton played the Mute.
Owen Gimblett’s compact, effective set, with the action taking place on a raised stationary platform anchored by poles, strewn with a curtain embroidered with the play’s title, stayed true to Ed Wittstein’s original design.
Recommended, The Fantasticks’ opened on Saturday 15th January and plays the Genesian theatre, 420 Kent Street, Sydney until Saturday 19th February, 2011.