Neighboring parents pretend to feud and build a wall on their property line to keep their children, Luisa and Matt, apart. But it is all a ruse to get them to fall in love and it works, at least for a time in September before the young lovers are torn apart.
Penobscot Theatre Company’s production of “The Fantasticks” is perfect in almost every way. The cast is stellar, the music richly layered, the technical work eye popping. Director and choreographer Rachel Ballasy, who is based in southern New England, expertly captures all the joy, adventure, heartache and happy ending of this iconic American musical at the Bangor Opera House through July 12. It is a triumphant end to the company’s 52nd season.
With book and lyrics by Tom Jones and music by Harvey Schmidt, the show is loosely based on “The Romancers” by French playwright Edmond Rostand, best known for “Cyrano de Bergerac.” Jones has said the name of the show came from a 1900 or so adaptation of “The Romancers” titled “The Fantasticks.”
The musical premiered in May 1960 at a small off-Broadway theatre in New York City’s Greenwich Village with Jerry Orbach as El Gallo, the narrator of the story. Orbach, who went on to star in many Broadway musicals, is best known for playing detective Lennie Briscoe on “Law and Order” from 1992 until shortly before his death in late 2004. He died of prostate cancer at the age of 69.
That original production of “The Fantasticks,” with many cast changes, ran until 2002 and had 17,162 performances, making it the world’s longest-running musical. Originally, the cast was made up of seven men and one woman. PTC’s Artistic Director Jen Shepard said in her program note that she chose to cast it with four men and four women.
“Sonically it creates a more interesting and balanced sound, with voices intermingling to give more texture and depth to every moment,” she said. “Interestingly, while the playwrights permit productions to cast the fathers as women, they insist the characters still be referred to as ‘Father’ and ‘Dad.’ Perhaps the reason is simple: the rhymes are too good to lose.”
Music Director Larrence Fingerhut orchestrated the score for piano, violin and cello rather than the piano and harp used in the original production in the 153-seat off-Broadway theater. He said Sunday that the 350-seat Bangor Opera House needed a bigger sound so the music was not lost in the larger house.
For this show to be successful, it needs a charismatic actor as El Gallo, the adventurer the fathers pay to kidnap Luisa so that Matt can rescue her. PTC found that in Tyler Dobies, a New York City-based actor, who is making his debut in Maine. Dobies gives the character an alluring, sexy charm that masks a promise of danger for both Luisa and Matt.
Dobies strides across the stage and holds the audience in the palm of his hand from the first notes of “Try to Remember” through El Gallo’s negotiations with the fathers in “It Depends on What You Pay” to the reprise of the opening number in the sweet finale. The actor is a fantastic addition to the company’s stable of performers and Shepard should program another musical that would showcase his considerable skills.
As the young lovers, Stephanie Bacastow, who charmed audiences three years ago as the quintessential nanny in “Mary Poppins, the Broadway Musical”, and Andrew Barrett, who starred last year in “The Rocky Horror Show,” are wonderful. New York City-based actor Bacastow is a bit too old for the part but her stunningly clear soprano, especially in “Soon It’s Gonna Rain” and “They Were You,” perfectly captures all the joy and passion of young love. Barrett, a Hampden Academy graduate who in 2016 played the Artful Dodger in “Oliver” at the age of 14 at the Opera House, is her equal note for note. They are entirely convincing as the young lovers.
Shepard’s decision to cast women as the pretending-to-feud fathers may irritate some purists who feel the pair should have leaned into more masculine portrayals but Laura Hodos, based in Florida, and Christie Robinson of Bangor work beautifully together, especially as they bond over the difficulty of child rearing in “Plant a Radish.” It is clear to theatergoers that the pair, who each have performed in a number of shows at the Opera House, are having a ball on stage.
Frank Bachman, Andy Phinney and Arden Hale McMillin as El Gallo’s collaborators round out the excellent cast. The design team — Gwen Elise Higgins (set), Michelle Handley (costumes) JP Sedlock (lighting) Eric Ferguson (sound) — beautifully executes the parents’ adjoining gardens where most of the action takes place. Fight and intimacy director Angela Bonacasa choreographed the fun sword fight that is a highlight of the abduction.
“The Fantasticks” is headed to Broadway this fall, so it will be unavailable to regional theaters during that run. Theater lovers should rush to see this heartwarming, funny and touching production at the Opera House. It’s time to remember a kind of September when love was an ember about to billow.
Penobscot Theatre Company’s production of “The Fantasticks” will run through July 12 at the Bangor Opera House, 131 Main St. For more information, go to penobscottheatre.org or call 207-942-3333.