Harvey Schmidt, Composer of The Fantasticks & 110 in the Shade, Dies at 88

Harvey Schmidt, the acclaimed composer who wrote the beloved music to the longest-running musical ever, The Fantasticks, died on February 28 at age 88. Daniel Demello, publicist for The Fantasticks, confirmed Schmidt's death.

Harvey Lester Schmidt was born on September 12, 1929 in Dallas, Texas. Schmidt's first off-Broadway musical was The Fantasticks, which featured a book and lyrics by Tom Jones and direction by Word Baker. Featuring Schmidt's now-iconic tunes including "Try to Remember" and "Soon It's Gonna Rain," the musical opened on May 3, 1960 at New York's Sullivan Street Playhouse. The Fantasticks ran for a total of 17,162 performances, closing on January 13, 2002. The musical received a 2006 revival that played 4,390 performances at the Snapple Theater Center. In 1995, a film adaptation of The Fantasticks was released.

Schmidt made his Broadway debut as a composer collaborating with Jones on 110 in the Shade (1963), a musical adaptation of N. Richard Nash's 1954 play The Rainmaker. Featuring a book by Nash and direction by Joseph Anthony, the moving tuner, starring Inga Swenson, earned Schmidt and Jones a joint Tony nomination for Best Composer & Lyricist. The show was revived on Broadway in a 2007 production starring Audra McDonald.

Schmidt composed with Jones as lyricist on two additional Broadway musicals: I Do, I Do (1966)—which netted the pair Tony nominations for Best Composer & Lyricist and Best Musical—and the later tuner Celebration (1969). Schmidt and Jones' additional off-Broadway scores included Colette (1970), Philemon (1975), The Show Goes On (1997) and Roadside (2001). In 1992, the songwriting team was presented with a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre to commemorate the 33rd year of The Fantasticks' off-Broadway run.