AMERICAN FORK — The Fantasticks is a renowned musical that opened off-Broadway in 1960 and ran for 42 consecutive years. Written by Tom Jones, (The Voice UK), and Harvey Schmidt, it has some memorable songs and moments that have endured for over half a century. It is also a perennial production on the community theater scene, making it a challenge for directors and production companies to make the show fresh and relevant. However, this production by Timpanogos Arts Foundation does both.
Entering the performance space of the Valentine Theater in American Fork, one is welcomed by a set that is pleasant, warm, and inviting. A large banner with “The Fantasticks” scrawled across it is stretched across the stage, surrounded on left, right, and upstage by large boxes, platforms, a picket fence, planter boxes, a few trees, and even porch lights hung from the battens. It feels as though we are gathered on a mild autumn evening to watch a backyard skit the (talented) neighbors have prepared for us. Caleb Wallengren, the scenic and lighting designer, has welcomed us home for a nice visit and a little entertainment.
The musical opens with a moving rendition of the oft-performed song, “Try to Remember,” delivered by El Gallo (played by Will Gardner) with tenderness and nostalgia, an invitation to look back on our own singular moments in life by looking at a few of those of the play’s characters. Will is aware of the subtleties and ironies that belong to this primary character; his delivery is natural and gently charming. I would have liked to see a little more nuance in the second act, as his performance there does hang a little heavy. That being said, I would see the play again to watch Will Gardner play El Gallo.
Addilyn Bowler’s performance as The Mute deserves special attention. She connects us to the emotions and experiences of the play and the characters with humor, energy, and playful vitality, like a one-person claque. She never toys with us by expecting gratuitous laughter; she delivers wordless jokes and silent empathy with clarity, charm, and magnetism. Without saying a word, and without upstaging anyone else in the cast, she steals the show.
The cast as a whole is delightful. Each character is distinct; each has little idiosyncrasies and solid through-lines that engage us and make us believers in their experiences, choices, and outcomes. Brynn Hartley, as Luisa, has a lovely voice, delving and soaring through the difficult range in her songs. In the first act, she is appropriately juvenile, sweet and charming without being obnoxious. I would like to have seen her physicality mature in the second act to align with the discoveries the character makes.
Justin Anderson as Henry deserves a nod for capturing the nuances in the script available to his character and for his comedic timing. His sidekick, Mortimer, is played by Eliza Stevenson as the simple, bumbling trope that sidekicks often are. She plays the role with energy and slapstick humor, and one very, very long exhale. Jensen Bean is adorable without being silly as Matt; his humiliation and humility in the second act is worth seeing when juxtaposed against his romantic arrogance in the first act. The Fathers, played by Scott Mason and Wayne Keller III, are anxiously funny, with just the right amount of annoying paternity mixed into their sauce to make them relatable to the mommas and pappas in the house.
The music is beautifully executed, the solo and choral vocals are excellent, and the two-piece instrument ensemble is a welcome addition. Ashley Murillo Coombs has done her job well as the music director.
Chantelle Wells is the choreographer of this production, and The Fantasticks is just the right kind of show for her. She engages the actors in movement that suits the space perfectly. There is storytelling and clever humor that forwards the action of the play.
Emma Ashton’s costume designs are simple and enlightening. It is clear El Gallo is somewhat of a magician by the costume he wears. Luisa’s dress identifies her as innocent and at the threshold between childhood and becoming a young woman. Matt is dressed with youthful swagger, an insight into his self-perception at the play’s beginning. He is stripped of pieces of his swagger and his costume in the second act, a telling design choice.
The director, Kacey Spadafora, has brought a solid, tender telling of The Fantasticks to the Timpanogos Arts Foundation season. He is to be commended for assembling an excellent cast and staff of designers. The clever, humorous, and tender moments delivered by the songs, the ensemble, and the choreography just keep coming. In particular, the engagement the cast has with the audience is ongoing and perfectly placed, adding to the depth of enrichment one experiences as an audience member. The pace in the second act does slow a tad at the beginning, leaning a hair into sentimentality. Overall, the director’s vision is adroitly executed, and the play is very entertaining. This is a show worth seeing.
In the past, I haven’t liked productions of The Fantasticks, and avoided seeing it. That being said, this production changed me. It pricked my heart, and it was painful – and pleasant – to feel that. And perhaps that’s the point of live theater: to touch our tender, hidden spots. To remind us that, in September or December, everyone has a place where the scenic and the cynical come together to enrich and enlarge us; to reveal us, and to cover and comfort us. Perhaps there is such a place in a play called The Fantasticks.
INFO: The Fantasticks plays at Timpanogos Arts Foundation through April 25th at the Valentine Theater in American Fork (839 E 9th N). Tickets range from $15-$25.