Fantastic
We just got home from the final production of The
Fantasticks at the Trinity Rep Company in Providence
RI. The Fantasticks has long been my favorite musical
play far beyond anything else I have ever seen. I was
in it my junior year of high school and I have seen
no less than 4 other times (once in Woodstock, VT,
twice at the Sullivan St. Playhouse where it ran for
42 years, and once in Boston) and this was, without a
doubt, my favorite of all of these productions.
The idea of the play is that the first half is a
fantasy. A love story set in moonlight, soft focus,
and romance. There is a heroic struggle and a happy
ending. The second act is set in sunlight and is
harsh reality. Hearts are broken, walls built, and,
finally, a happy ending but one through true
understanding, not childish fantasy. This production
used magic (actual sleight-of-hand and people
vanishing in a box magic) as the shifts and it worked
splendidly. The parts of El Gallo/The Narrator and
the Mute were so perfectly cast. Both had a
wonderfully energetic, emotive style that was so
engaging. You saw how much El Gallo cared about these
four people and how it hurt him to hurt them when he
had to. The Mute was a perfect reflection of the
emotions on the stage. The blocking and choreography
was just wonderful. The only downside for me was the
fact that the Boy (Matt) was played by someone of
lesser vocal ability which stood out like a sore
thumb among the other more accomplished singers.
Other than that, it was a truly marvelous production.
It's been years since I've been to see a show
anywhere and I hadn't realized just how much I missed
it.
What a wonderful evening.
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