The Fantasticks -- Long Wharf

Archive Review--

Long Wharf Theater opens the 2009-2010 season with a charming production of the musical The Fantasticks, directed by Amanda Dehnert, from Oct. 7 through Nov. 1 on the Mainstage.
Jessica Grove (who looks a little older than the 16 we keep hearing she is) and David Nathan Perlow star as the lovers united, driven apart and reunited set this time, in an amusement park (if you don’t think about the practicality of the setting too much, it works). They set out to find something more to life. “Please, God,” Luisa prays, “Don’t let me be normal,” but find they had what they wanted all along. Lending a find singing voice to the role of El Gallo, who gets to sing the classic “Try to Remember,” is Michael Sharon and standing out as his mute sidekick and magician’s assistant is Jonathan Randell Silver. Curtain times are Tuesdays at 7 pm., Wednesdays at 2 and 7 pm., Thursdays and Fridays at 8 pm, Saturdays at 3 and 8 pm and Sundays at 2 and 7 pm. Tickets are $30-$70. Rounding out the cast are Ray DeMattis (Bellomy), a wonderfully hammy William Parry (The Old actor), Dan Sharkey (Hucklebee), and Joseph Tisa (Mortimer). The creative team is comprised of Eugene Lee (sets), Jessica Ford (costumes), Nancy Schertler (lighting), David Budries (sound), Sharon Jenkins (choreographer), Bill Corcoran (musical director), and Lori Lundquist (stage manager). For more information or to purchase tickets, call the box office at (203) 787-4282 or visit the theatre’s website at www.longwharf.org.