Page 8 The Fantasticks Opens at Westchester Playhouse

By Conrad Hurtt Mexico, featuring a father Don Luis with voice in the cast. Max his daughter Luisa, and her nurse (just Heldring Stormes as the “The style is entrancing”—New York Times like Juliet). A bandit Straforel had two ham Henry and Robert “It has a freshness, youthful charm, and a sidekicks: a half-breed Apache, mod- G. Davis as the Indian touch of imagination”—New York Post eled on Tybalt, and an old medicine Mortimer work well off “The most inventive music in town!”—Cue show ham named Henry Fenwick. each other. Magazine The Fantasticks has all of these char- El Gallo comes “A Magickal Musickal”--Saturday Review acters except the helpful Nurse, who out at the opening and has been replaced by the helpful Wall: sings the song you’ve These were the reviews for the New a Commedia-style theatrical device in probably heard before: York production; now it’s your chance which the stagehand is not concealed, “Try to Remember.” to see the Westchester Playhouse pro- and becomes both a character and a set This song tells us to for- duction of The Fantasticks, and judge for piece (played with a great sense of fun get the way the world yourself. This is the 1960 musical by by Andrew Zimmer). Greg Abbott plays is, and imagine a time Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt that was Hucklebee (The Boy’s Father) with bug- in the past when things the winner of an Obie, a Tony, and four eyed hilarity, and Ben Lupejkis plays were more innocent. Guinness Book of World Records: the Bellomy (The Girl’s Father) with vaude- At the end of the play, world’s longest running show still in its villian comic timing. the Boy and Girl then original theater (17,162 performances With a deep and resonating sing- give up their youthful in almost 42 years at the Sullivan Street ing voice Jon Sparks has the Straforel illusions and move into Playhouse in Greenwich Village), the role: rewritten as The Narrator El Gallo a season of maturity. world’s longest running musical, the (named after “The Rooster” Jose Gomez, This cyclical nature longest running show in American the- the famous gypsy bullfighter in Spain). of the play is reflected ater history and most performances by In the tradition of the Stage Manager in in the lyrics: much of an actor (6,348 by the producer Lore Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, he starts the play takes place Noto as Hucklebee). and stops the action, moving the actors in the gardens of the The story is based on Tom Jones’ to and fro at will. Looking like Zorro, feuding parents, and he has quite a sales job as he attempts the songs use images (no, not the Vegas Tom Jones) 1956 Pictured from left to right: Ben Lupejkis as “Bellomy,” Holly Sedil- Joy Comes to Deadhorse, inspired by to convince The Girl’s Father to allow of vegetation, seasons, los as “Luisa,” Bevan Michael Haynes as “Matt,” and Greg Abbott as George Fleming’s 1900 The Fantasticks, him to abduct his daughter one of twen- gardening, fruition, “Hucklebee.” translated from Edmond Rostand’s 1894 ty one different ways (by coach, horse- and harvest as a meta- the carnival atmosphere. The accom- Les Romanesques, which is a rip-off of back, canoe, Indians, day, moonlight, phor for the growth of the boy and girl. panists Stephen Hulsey and Dean Mora William Shakespeare’s 1597 Romeo and etc.) in his song, “It Depends on What The story unfurls, with the lovers finally play the live piano music that gives this Juliet with a twist: the parents invent a You Pay.” evolving into maturity. show its vitality. feud in order to make their children fall The stand-out performance of the This production, directed by Kirk THE FANTASTICKS, 8301 Hindry in love. evening is Bevan Michael Haynes as Larson, is scheduled for eighteen perfor- Avenue, (310) 645-5156, 5/5/06- Joy Comes to Deadhorse was a mu- Matt (The Boy). He has a beautiful sing- mances by the Kentwood Players. The 6/17/06, 8 p.m., $18.00, or $16.00 stu- sical set in the Wild West, with a cho- ing voice, and never breaks character cast of eight performs eighteen songs, dents/seniors/military. rus of cowboys in adjoining but feuding (even when he accidentally tripped and and all the actors have vibrant voices Conrad Hurtt has received a ranches: one Spanish and the other An- fell off the stage); it is rare to see an ac- under the musical direction of Elizabeth Bachelor’s in Theatre from U.C. Berke- glo (perhaps the inspiration for the Jets tor so seamlessly inhabit his character. A. Bouton. They dance and stunt fight ley, performed in 35 plays, and almost and Sharks from West Side Story?) This Holly Sedillos is Luisa (The Girl), and with flair, choreographed Marie Made- finished a Master’s in Theatre from Cal play premiered at the University of New has the most technically professional ra. Tony Pereslete’s set design gives us State L.A. How to get sound financial advice.

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