Tom Jones: A New Life for The Fantasticks
The first time The Fantasticks opened off-Broadway, Eisenhower was president and The Sound of Music was a hit uptown. The world has seen plenty of changes since May 3, 1960, but the appeal of Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt's musical fable lives on. Luckily for 21st century theatergoers, Jones is directing a new production of his beloved show, which will christen the Snapple Theater Center when it opens on August 16. And, though he won't admit it, Jones will be back onstage as Henry—acting under the pseudonym Thomas Bruce—just as he was on opening night more than 46 years ago. As previews began, he shared his reflections on creating the world's longest-running musical, and what the show means to him today.
When Jerry Orbach came to audition for the original production of The Fantasticks in the spring of 1960, we were all so poor that not only did we not have the money for a casting director, we did not have the money for a casting room. Auditions were held in the Upper West Side apartment I shared with composer Harvey Schmidt. Auditioning actors had to read and sing in our small living room, while those waiting to audition lined up on the four flights of stairs leading to the apartment.
Jerry's audition was sensational. It was so good that, after he left the room, we decided we didn't need to see anyone else, and we ran down the stairs past all those actors to catch Jerry at the corner and tell him he had the part. As fate would have it, the next day he was offered a featured role in a new Broadway musical at five times the salary we could pay. We were lucky. Jerry decided to go with us and create the role of El Gallo. He did the right thing, incidentally; the Broadway show closed out of town, Jerry got wonderful reviews for The Fantasticks, and he was immediately hired to play the lead in the new Gower Champion musical Carnival.
Not only were we lucky with Jerry, we were lucky with all of that original company. The actors were all eager to explore this strange new musical form we were creating. The director was turned on by the limitations of the small theater space. Our producer had total faith in the show. We rehearsed for a few weeks. We opened to mixed notices. We struggled. Then we survived. Not only survived, we astonished ourselves—and everyone else—by running for 42 years.
The new production, the opposite is the case. With the single exception of Thomas Bruce, who played Henry in the original production, none of the other actors has ever played their roles before. In several instances, such as Santino Fontana, the young man who plays Matt and just finished playing Hamlet at the Guthrie in Minneapolis, they have never even seen the show, much less been in it.
Our theater space is also new. Located in the Snapple Theatre Center on 50th and Broadway, The Fantasticks will be the first show to play there. It was chosen because basic layout resembles the Sullivan Street Theatre, but with all new facilities and a terrific location in the midtown area. I must admit I love it. I can get on the subway two blocks from my apartment on the Upper West Side and get off about 50 feet from the theater.
People have asked me if it seems strange to have The Fantasticks back again, and the answer is no—it seems strange that it should ever have been gone. It has been part of my life since I first came to the city. We have been through so many changes together: social upheaval, the Vietnam War, woman's liberation, flower children, black power, hippies, yuppies and yes, AIDS. Throughout it all, there was a kind of strange comfort in having this modest little show performing its ritual parable over and over on a simple wooden platform. It seemed a sort of balance in a wobbly, wobbly world. You know, the original Fantasticks lasted through 10 presidents. I would like to see it get through at least one more.