 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
'Fantasticks' still tugs at heart
By JORGE SANCHEZ, Times Staff Writer
Billed as the longest-running musical in theater history, The Fantasticks brings the universal message of love along with some catchy memorable songs to the Playhouse 19 stage. The Fantasticks is the story of two families, the Bellamys and the Hucklebees. Young Luisa Bellamy, played by Danielle Flury, falls in love with Matt Hucklebee, played by Matthew Kelly. To push the relationship along, the two meddling fathers (Peter Abrams as Bell and Drew Sherman as Hucklebee) devise a ruse, part of which requires a huckster called El Gallo (Guy Peshek) and his henchman to stage a phony attack on the young girl. The idea is for Matt to vanquish the attackers, rescue Luisa and thus cement the relationship. Their ploy, sort of a reversal of Romeo and Juliet, goes awry. The young lovers catch on and the romance is off. Matt decides to go out into the world to experience what he thinks will be a fuller, more exciting life. Luisa stays home, where, with the help of the manipulative El Gallo, she views the world outside her village through innocently naive and misled eyes. The original production has played off-Broadway since 1960 and become somewhat of a legend, launching dozens of successful theatrical careers. Harvey Schmidt's music and Tom Jones' lyrics have become hits outside the show, especially the poignant Try to Remember, which opens and closes the musical. The show is a favorite of actors, directors and producers, as well as many audiences, mainly because of its simple, touching story, broadly drawn characters and memorable songs. The Fantasticks was freely adapted from Edmond Rostand's 1894 play Les Romanesques. -- Information from Times files was used in this report. Jorge Sanchez can be reached at 860-7313 or sanchez@sptimes.com . At a glance The Fantasticks now playing Thursdays through Sundays through May 11 at Playhouse 19, 865 U.S. 19 S, Crystal River. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $15. Call 563-1333.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
Citrus Times | ||||||||||||||||||||
