Sept. 13-29—SO. POMFRET—The ArtisTree Music Theatre Festival continues with its second show of the season, “The Fantasticks,” the longest running musical in history! Performances will be held Sept. 14-29 (with a special preview performance on Thursday, Sept. 13) at the Grange Theatre on Stage Road in South Pomfret.
“The Fantasticks” is the longest-running musical in the world and with good reason: at the heart of its breathtaking poetry and subtle theatrical sophistication is a purity and simplicity that transcends cultural barriers. The result is a timeless fable of love that manages to be nostalgic and universal at the same time.
“The Fantasticks” is the funny, romantic musical about a boy, a girl, and the two fathers who try to keep their children apart. The narrator, El Gallo, asks the audience to use its imagination and follow him into a world of moonlight and magic, as the boy and the girl fall in love, drift apart, and finally find their way back to each other. They’ve come to realize the truth in El Gallo’s words: “Without a hurt, the heart is hollow.”
This moving tale of young lovers who become disillusioned – only to discover a more mature, meaningful love – is punctuated by a bountiful series of catchy, memorable songs, many of which have become classics.
Broadway actor Ken Prymus (“The Wiz,” “Ain’t Misbehaving,” “CATS”) returns to Vermont as Henry, The Old Actor. Broadway and award-winning cabaret performer Michael McAssey plays Hucklebee, father of the boy with James Rio (“Phantom of the Opera”) as the girl’s father. Scott Moreau (“1st National Million Dollar Quartet”) plays the storyteller – El Gallo. Local comedian Collen Doyle (“Woolen Mills Comedy Club”) brings his talents to the role of Mortimer. Renée Kathleen Koher (“Tokyo Disney’s The Little Mermaid in Under The Sea”) is featured as The Mute. Nick Kuhn (ArtisTree’s “Godspell”) and Sarah Lasko (Dorothy in the National Tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Wizard of Oz”) play the young lovers.
For ticket and more information, visit artistreevt.org.
