It has been to every state in our country in over 11,103 productions in over 2,000 cities and towns. It has traveled from Carefree, Ariz. to Mouth of Wilson, Va. and visited the White House, the Ford Theatre and Yellowstone National Park. It has even crossed international borders. There have been over 700 productions staged in 67 nations. These include Canada, Germany, Australia, Scandinavia, Japan, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Czechoslovakia, Kabul, Afghanistan, Teheran and Iran. Recently, it has been to Dublin, Milan, Budapest, Zimbabwe, Bangkok and Beijing. This phenomenon? ìThe Fantasticks!”
Since its 1960 premiere, ìThe Fantasticks” has become the longest-running show in the history of American theater and the worldís longest running musical. Its original off-Broadway production, which ran for a total of 42 years, was awarded Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre in 1991. The timeless, funny story of two young lovers and their feuding families is sunny and relatable. With its catchy, breezy score and a classic boy-meets-girl plot, ìThe Fantasticks” has survived generations and adaptations to become a staple of community productions.
Finally, ìThe Fantasticks” is going to be performed at The College of Wooster. Effieís Players, the student-run group that produced ìFrozen” last year (which merited wonderful reviews), is organizing the production. The group is headed and directed by Yassi Davoodi í11 and Katie Markovich í12. Their small cast is a diverse mix of first- and second-year students. The directors are very excited about their young castís potential. Since the group is not exclusively made of theater majors, they welcome anyone to audition for their future productions. Concerning their current rehearsals, Loni Ben-Zvi í13, a first-year cast member was optimistic. ìI like being directed by students,” she said, ìbecause although we havenít really gotten into too much acting work yet our production staff is really approachable and helpful.”
Although ìThe Fantasticks” carries a strong legacy and tradition, it has a minimal set and a small cast. This blankness has allowed Davoodi and Markovich add to some of their creative flair to the production. For instance, they exaggerate the roles of the musicalís goofier characters, such as The Mute, who hands out props on stage and creates scenery with her body. They have also further developed the role of Luisa, who was originally portrayed as a girly, naÔve character. Now, Luisa is interpreted as a stronger, more confident young woman.
The directors are extremely enthusiastic about ìThe Fantasticks.” When asked about her expectations, Markovich replied, ìIt will be awesome. Seriously, everyone is so talented, and I feel like there are all these little hidden gems that no one knew about. Ben Caroli í12 and Miles Batson í12 are playing the fathers of the boy and the girl and they are incredible. They are two guys who can legitimately sing and entertain and we are so lucky to have them.”
This production promises to be funny, colorful and delightful, no matter your theatrical background. ìThe Fantasticks” will be performed in Schoolroy Theatre at 8:15 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20 and Saturday, Nov. 21.