The Fantasticks Show Poster

The Fantasticks Critics’ Reviews

The Fantasticks tells the story of a young boy and girl who fall madly in love at the hands of their meddling fathers, but soon grow restless and stray from one another. Will their separation provide a deeper appreciation for the love they once shared—or create a permanent gulf between them? The Fantasticks is a quintessential celebration of love in all its gorgeous simplicity and heartbreaking complexities. The Fantasticks originally opened at New York's Sullivan Street Playhouse on May 3, 1960, and played 17,162 performances before closing January 13, 2002, making it the world's longest-running musical. This production, directed by librettist Tom Jones, inaugurates the new Snapple Theatre Center and includes the beloved songs "Try to Remember," "Soon It's Gonna Rain" and many more. If you've never seen this classic romantic fable—or if you've seen and loved it—now is the time to fall under the spell of The Fantasticks again.

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About The Fantasticks

What Is the Story of The Fantasticks?
Beloved by theatergoers for 50 years, The Fantasticks is a musical allegory about the romance of a young couple, Matt and Luisa, who find their relationship tested by their meddling fathers and a bandit narrator known as El Gallo. There isn’t much of a plot beyond boy meets girl, boy loses girl, and boy gets girl back—but the charm of The Fantasticks is in its poetic innocence coupled with a now-classic score by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt that includes “Try to Remember” and “Soon it’s Gonna Rain.”
 

Reviews

critics reviews Critics’ Reviews (3)
A collection of our favorite reviews from professional news sources.
Variety

"Highlighting [The Fantasticks] is the aural pleasure of hearing Schmidt's music from strong, unamplified voices, accompanied by piano and embellished only by the delicious sound of that harp."

Variety

Steven Suskin

Associated Press

"From 'Try to Remember,' the show's best known tune, to 'Soon It's Gonna Rain' to the haunting 'They Were You,' the songs are reminders of what makes this little musical so hypnotic."

Associated Press

Michael Kuchwara

The New York Times

"It is refreshing to find, on the edge of the Times Square theater district, a musical that uses no artificial amplification and no special effects that exceed the complexity of a cardboard moon."

The New York Times

Ben Brantley

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