The Fantasticks NYC Reviews and Tickets

"I tried to summon my stage-struck, preadolescent self as I watched the current “Fantasticks,” but he must have been otherwise engaged. What at 9 seemed oh so scenic inevitably brought out the cynic in this professional critic. I was more given to flinching than misting up as the Boy and the Girl loved, lost and rediscovered each other."
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"The world’s longest-running musical doesn’t need reviving. But it’s hard to resist The Fantasticks’ vintage charm: unamplified actors; artsy-craftsy effects like confetti snow and sequined rain; a sweetly melodic score composed of standards and oddities"
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"While another 42-year run is not in the cards, the new “Fantasticks,” with its charms and entertainment value intact, delivers very nicely. And the audience still visibly swells at the sound of “Try to Remember.”"
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"A lovely revival of a show that has lost none of its guileless freshness after half a century of hard use. 'The Fantasticks' is blessed with an equally excellent score: the ballads are tender and yearning; the comic songs droll; and all are singable from intro to coda. It's a gem."
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"If you've seen the show - either on Sullivan St. or elsewhere - you can live with your memories. But if you or your kids have never experienced it, this pleasant production makes for a fine first time."
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"The eight-actor musical that Jones and Schmidt wrote when they were still practically schoolboys is as fresh and charming as it always has been, and looks as if it should remain so for the next millennium or two...Try to remember how much you loved The Fantasticks the first time? Not necessary. It's all here again, right before your astonished eyes. That goes for first-timers too!"
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"There is one, and only one, problem with the uncorkably joyful production of The Fantasticks: It's now going to be much harder to criticize revivals for opening too soon after their original productions close. While it remains to be seen whether attitudes and economics will allow this production a marathon run of its own, I, for one, wouldn't complain if it lasted another 42 years."
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"A reverential blandness has crept into the proceedings of this classic loss-of-innocence tale...Schmidt's melodies remain as heartfelt as ever. The songs are reminders of what makes this little musical so hypnotic and Jones' lyrics are equally accomplished. Yet when the singing stops, the show's fragility becomes apparent."
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"The Fantasticks was so neatly and lovingly made—try to remember that everything non-electronic was better-made back then—that it still has plenty of charm and plenty of wisdom to impart for those who aspire to be young, for a few pleasant hours, in the more misty-eyed style of that earlier time."
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"In a world where it’s increasingly difficult to find anything to believe in, The Fantasticks reminds us that its sunny outlook is exactly what we all need. Featuring a beautiful, melodic score...this is theatre history come vibrantly back to life with an enduring, positive message that, judging by the turnout at the performance I saw, still resonates with many today."
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