Chanticleers Theatre presents The Fantasticks
Chanticleers Theatre wraps up its 2023 season with a classic, and the longest running musical in American history. The Fantasticks is an allegorical story that focuses on two young lovers, their meddling fathers, and the journey we all must take through life. With music by Harvey Schmidt and book and lyrics by Tom Jones, this romantic fable has been delighting audiences since its off-Broadway premiere in 1960.
Stuart Bousel is thrilled to be returning to the Director’s chair after the pandemic cut short his previous directing role on Never The Sinner at San Francisco’s Exit Theatre. He considers The Fantasticks to be “one of the great American musicals of the 20th Century. It’s a deep and lyrical examination of the big ideas - love, youth, time, loss, innocence, change, memory, and death. It’s a show about what it means to be human. Everyone should see it.”
Many will recognize the show’s most famous song, “Try to Remember”, which became an international hit in 1975 when it was covered by Gladys Knight & the Pips. It has been recorded by hundreds of other artists over the years, including Ed Ames, Harry Belafonte, Barbra Streisand and Placido Domingo. Other notable songs include “Soon It’s Gonna Rain” and “They Were You”.
When asked about the record-breaking run that the show has had, with over 21,000 performances, lyricist Tom Jones remarked, “My mind doesn’t grasp it, in a way. It’s like life itself - you get used to it and you don’t notice how extraordinary it is. I’m grateful for it and I’m astonished by it.” Jones passed away in August of this year. Schmidt passed in 2018.
This fall, please join Chanticleers Theatre as we present this whimsical and poignant musical as a tribute to its creators, Jones and Schmidt. Says Bousel, “This is a story of self-awareness, resilience, and forgiveness - all essential traits that we need right now as we continue to collectively figure out how to live in a bigger world again.”
Now is the perfect time to fall under the spell of The Fantasticks.
Tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for seniors and students. Patrons can make purchases at chanticleers.org or call 510-SEE-LIVE (510-733-5483).
Chanticleers Theatre is a nonprofit community theater organization with a rich history dating back to 1948. Today, Chanticleers Theatre is a 92-seat playhouse, serving Castro Valley and the greater East Bay. Known as “Castro Valley’s Little Theatre in the Park”, Chanticleers is located in the Castro Valley Community Park right across from the Veterans Memorial and next to the children’s waterpark and playground.
Friday, October 20 - Sunday, November 19
Fridays & Saturdays @ 8:00 p.m.
Sundays @ 2:00 p.m.
Special Student Performance on 11/16 ($10)
The Fantasticks
Chanticleers Theatre
3683 Quail Avenue, Castro Valley
(510) 733-5483
www.chanticleers.org