The Fantasticks premiered Off-Broadway in 1960, a time of social revolution and new discoveries. On Aug. 19, the show was brought back to the stage by Cadence Theatre Company.
The plotline is simple, a neighboring boy and girl fall in love, believing their fathers would squelch any relationship between the two. In reality, their dads are plotting to have their son and daughter marry one another. Things go awry and at one point the two lovers take different paths. It’s not until they experience life that they discover what they have lost.
While many productions today are going grander in style and size, The Fantasticks relies on its simplicity to entertain. The sparse, only-the-essentials set and intimacy of the show works well in the new Richmond Triangle Players theatre.
The cast gels together quite nicely. Aly Wepplo and Billy Christopher Maupin bring energy to their roles as the idealistic lovers. Michael Hawke and Gayle Turner are fun to watch as the two dads who are as protective of their gardens as they are their children.
As El Gallo, a storyteller with a vested interest in the story, Russell Rowland is in prime vocal form. Steve Moore and Stephen Ryan play off of each other as the two stock actors.
While the actors in this production are very entertaining, the play itself feels a bit dated and lacking when it comes to character development. Except for the classic “Try to Remember,” the songs are ones that you probably won’t remember.
The Fantasticks has its appeal to many theatergoers – it ran for 42 years – but for me, this production gets its life from the actors not the play.
The Fantasticks runs through Aug. 28. For V for Women and Joan Tupponce.com, this is Joan with One Woman’s View.
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