Fri 6/17-Sun 6/19, Fri 6/24-Sun 6/26
The Fantasticks is one of music theater’s most popular shows. The 1960 musical was the world’s longest-running musical, runs for 42 years off Broadway, and it’s been performed countless times by community, college and regional theaters, always packing in audiences for the romantic story about a boy and a girl whose fathers are trying to promote sparks between them by pretending to be enemies.
The simple staging, small cast (eight characters) and memorable songs such as “Try to Remember,” “Soon It’s Gonna Rain” and “They Were You” made it an attractive choice for a theater with limited resources.
Now Near West Theatre is presenting The Fantasticks in is brand-new Black Box Theater, which it designed and built during the pandemic to provide a flexible space for diverse performances and learning lab for youth. The cast of eight adult performers is directed by NWT alumni Darius Stubbs & musical director Heidi Herczeg.
It runs for two weeks only, Friday and Saturday @ 7:30pm and Sunday @2pm. Tickets are pay-what-you-can with a suggested donation of $15 for adults, $12 for kids 12 and under.