When The Fantasticks opened off-Broadway back in 1960, New York Times critic Brooks Atkinson called it “the sort of thing that loses magic the longer it endures.”
He couldn’t have been more wrong. The original run of The Fantasticks lasted 42 years, making it the world’s longest-running musical.
With music by Harvey Schmidt and book and lyrics by Tom Jones, The Fantasticks tells the story of two neighboring fathers who create an imaginary feud in order to trick their children, Luisa and Matt, into falling in love. In CVRep’s season opener, The Fantasticks—A Love Story Reimagined, two neighboring mothers create the same ruse to encourage a romance between their sons, Lewis and Matt. It is the West Coast premiere of this new version, and it’s a perfect choice to kick off Greater Palm Springs Pride here in the desert.
Jimmy Cuomo’s simple set is, not surprisingly, perfect—just a curtain, two wooden crates and a prop chest. It sets just the right tone of intimacy.
Also onstage are pianist/musical director Chip Prince and harpist Christian Chalifour, who provide superb accompaniment throughout the production. They deserve special mention for flawlessly handling a difficult musical score.
Staying true to the poignancy of the original story, director Craig Wells elicits strong performances from his cast, deftly capturing the innocence and endurance of young love.
As the youthful paramours, Jack Mastrianni (Lewis) and Eric Phelps (Matt) are terrific. Their chemistry is undeniable, and they eventually fall in love.
Mastrianni’s Lewis is coming of age as a homosexual, and exudes libido—not uncommon for 16-year-old boys. As the slightly older and more conventionally masculine of the two, Phelps is spot-on as Matt. With a gorgeous singing voice and tons of charisma, he’s a joy to watch.
Broadway veteran Lisa Vroman is perfectly cast as Lewis’ mother, Bessie Mae. Sassy, funny and warm, we can tell she truly cares about her son’s happiness. Vroman also has some amazing vocal pipes.
Sade Ayodele is a force to be reckoned with as Matt’s mother, Mildred. Tending her garden with ominous-looking pruning shears, Mildred will do what it takes to get the best for her son. Hilarious and feisty, Ayodele belts out her songs with great aplomb.
The character of El Gallo is crucial to the success of any production of The Fantasticks, and Wells made an excellent choice by casting Eric Kunze in the role. Handsome, with wonderful stage presence and a lovely singing voice, Kunze guides us through the story with great skill.
Amber Lux Archer embodies the word grace as The Mute. Facilitating the story with various props from the onstage chest, she literally seems to float around the stage. Her performance is sheer perfection.
The funniest moments in the show are provided by Wayne Bryan and Erik Scott Romney as the Old Actor and Mortimer, respectively. Watching them is truly a master class in comedic acting. Romney’s prolonged death scene, in particular, is hilarious. When these two exit the stage, we can’t wait for them to reappear.
Other standout moments in this production include the sword fight during the abduction scene (kudos to fight director Christi Waldon) and several musical numbers, including “I Can See It” and Matt and Lewis’ lovely duet “They Were You.”
The intimate moments between Matt and Lewis are handled well; they’re intense and believable, but not overdone.
The Fantasticks—A Love Story Reimagined is a show everyone can enjoy, whether you’ve seen the original or not. Congratulations to CVRep for choosing it to open the 2023-2024 season, and to celebrate Greater Palm Springs Pride.
This superb production reminds us once again that you’ve just got to love who you love.
The Fantasticks—A Love Story Reimagined will be performed at 7 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday; and 2 p.m., Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, through Sunday, Nov. 19, at the CVRep Playhouse, 68510 E. Palm Canyon Drive, in Cathedral City. Tickets are $83-$87. For tickets or more information, call 760-296-2966, or visit www.cvrep.org.
“Also onstage are pianist/musical director Chip Prince and harpist Christian Chalifour, who provide superb accompaniment throughout the production. They deserve special mention for flawlessly handling a difficult musical score.” …OMG! I guess now I’m going to have to play ALL the notes! — Thanks Bonnie! 😄