The Fantasticks

Summary of the musical The Fantasticks :

The gallant and enigmatic narrator - El Gallo - introduces us to two young lovers, Matt and Luisa, who live the magical phase, in moonlight, of falling in love. For a while, the romance seems perpetually enthralling. However, El Gallo takes our young protagonists from romantic moonlight to the harsh sun, where the weaknesses of their relationship are exposed and reality is revealed. Understanding that "painlessly the heart is hollow," Matt and Luisa manage to find their own identity and discover their strength as a couple in both the dark and the light.

The Fantasticks is an allegorical story centered on two young lovers, their unruly fathers, and the journey we all have to take through adolescence. The work also reflects on the pain and betrayal, the passion, the challenges of distance, the heartbreak of discovering how to truly love.

General information
  • Style : Romance, Tragedy
  • Theme : Friendship, Betrayal, Lies, Love, Violence
  • year of creation : 1960
Music
  • Composer : Harvey Schmidt
  • Lyricist :Tom Jones
  • Librettist :Tom Jones
  • famous songs : "Try to Remember", "Much More", "Metaphor", "Soon It's Gonna Rain", "This Plum Is Too Ripe", "I Can See It", "They Were You".
  • Famous performers : Liza Minnelli, Elliott Gould, F. Murray Abraham, Glenn Close, Keith Charles, Kristin Chenoweth, Burke Moses, Leo Burmester, Martin Vidnovic, Santino Fontana.
kinships
  • Inspired by another work : The musical is inspired by the play The Romantics by Edmond Rostand.
  • Exists in film : A film was directed in 1955 by Michael Ritchie but was not released in theaters until 2000. This film includes Joel Grey, Brad Sullivan, Jean Louisa Kelly, Barnard Hughes, Jonathon Morris. This film was a flop at the box office and was very poorly received by critics.
Awards
  • Appointments and Awards : In 1991, the musical was awarded the "Tony Honors in Excellence". This award recognizes those who have done outstanding work in theater but are not eligible in the established Tony Award categories.
  • Number of years on display : 42
  • Number of performances : 17162
  • anecdotes : The Fantasticks remained on Off-Broadway for 42 years, a world record!
Currently on stage