The Fantasticks

The musical is playing at the Jerry Orbach Theater located at 210 West 50th. It runs two hours with one intermission.

The shows original Off-Broadway production was on Sullivan Street in New York City Soho. It ran for forty two years and 17,162 performances, making it the world's longest musical. It was awarded a Tony Honors for excellence. The present show opened on August 23, 2006. It celebrated it's fifth anniversary in 2010. In memory of the original El Gallo, the theater in which the revival is playing in was renamed the "The Jerry Orbach Theater".

John Davidson will be in the show until September 2, 2012. Known for his appearances on Hollywood Squares and $150,000 Pyramid. He has been on Broadway in "State Fair" (1996) and "Foxy" (1964).

Aaron Carter joined the cast in November 2011. He is well known as a international recording artist.

This is a love story between a sixteen year girl named Lusia (Juliette Trafton) and a 20 year boy named Matt (Aaron Carter). The show is narrated by El Gallo (Scott Willis).

Lusia and Matt are next door neighbors. There father's Bellomy (Kenneth Boys) and Hucklebee (Dan Sharkey) are friends. But they make it seem like the are feuding so that there children will be attracted to each other. They put a wall (Jeremy Greenbaum) between their back yards. It works they fall in love. Things seem to unravel when the kids find out their father's are friends.

The musical is about of love, growing up and learning from your mistakes.

This is a great show. It's simple. There is very little on the stage except for chairs, bench and a chest filled with props. Two of cast members to come out of the chest at one time. The only instruments played are a piano (Robert Felstein) and a harp (Jacqueline Kerrod). All the work is done by the cast. They work well with each other. The actors interact with the audience. Sometimes in a scene when they are singing or talking they will look directly at someone as if they are talking to that person. In one case El Gallo says he has to find some one to do the performance and stares at people in the audience. As he goes by a little boy he had been looking at, the little boy shouts at him "Not Me".

Kenneth Boys and Dan Sharkey are great when they sing "Never Sing No".

Aaron Carter and Juliette Trafton song "They Were You" was powerful.

Scott Willis was convincing as El Gallo.

But best of all was John Davidson as Henry. If you could figure out who he was in a wild wig and white makeup. He was hilarious and wonderful to watch. His side kick Mortimer (Michael Nostrand) did the best campy death scene I've seen.

The only low point was when I could not hear a line that was sung or said. When the show opens Scott Willis sings "Try To Remember". It seems the piano player was louder then him-at times. When he did the song again at the end of the second act it was forceful, like the song we have grown to know and love.

Review by Rozanna Radakovich.

Photos by Annazor.