There’s not a weak link in Arena Stage’s production
“The Fantasticks”
Where: Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday; 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; additional matinees available; no performances Dec. 24-25; through Jan. 10
Info: 202-488-3300; thelincolntheatre.org
“The Fantasticks,” by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, doesn’t need a large theater and fancy scenery. When it first appeared in a tiny New York theater in 1960, it had just a few props in a trunk, a harpist and a pianist. Part of its appeal seemed linked to its simplicity.
Yet the current Arena Stage production of “The Fantasticks,” playing at the large Lincoln Theatre, succeeds very well, retaining all the core simplicity that is at the heart of this boy-loves-girl story.
Director Amanda Dehnert envisions the play in an abandoned amusement park, an apt choice since “The Fantasticks” takes place in a fantasy world where carousels might be the chosen mode of transportation. Eugene Lee’s entertaining set calls up the ghost of that park, leaving its name partially visible in burned-out lights.
This version of “The Fantasticks” begins with a spectacular interlude of magic, performed by the Narrator (Sebastian La Cause) and the Mute (Nate Dendy). That magic appropriately sets the tone for the musical, which is all about illusions and disillusionment.
“The Fantasticks” finds a girl named Luisa (Addi McDaniel) and a boy named Matt (Timothy Ware) living next door to one another, thinking their fathers want to keep them apart. Their fathers, meanwhile, are trying to get their children to marry by building a wall, knowing that the presence of the wall will make the two fall in love. Michael Stone Forrest and Jerome Lucas Harmann are delightful in the roles of the scheming fathers.
In Act I, the young lovers are brought together happily, with the help of “El Gallo” (La Cause) and two old actors, Henry (Laurence O’Dwyer) and Mortimer (Jesse Terrill). In Act II, Matt and Luisa are separated and forced to see the world without rose-colored glasses.
There are no weak links in this production. Jones’ and Schmidt’s unforgettable music and lyrics are crisply delivered by a talented cast. Only percussion and bass have been added to the original piano and harp. Most important, with its shift to a real place, this “Fantasticks” has lost none of its timelessness and none of its magic.
