The Fantasticks Reviews
Stage and Cinema- Highly Recommended
"...With the original opening Off-Broadway in 1960 and running an astounding 42 years, The Fantasticks is a veritable classic amongst the repertoire of musical theater. This perennially popular piece by composer Harvey Schmidt (music) and librettist & lyricist Tom Jones is a two-act chamber piece-an eight-character, minimalistic, melancholic, commedia dell'arte-style parable with unimprovable songs scored for piano and harp."
LA Splash- Somewhat Recommended
"...It would seem that Tom Jones' book and lyrics with Harvey L. Schmidt's music, were intended to illuminate universal themes of the human condition including love and raising children through young adulthood who leave home and experience the harshness of the world. Not having seen the original production, I don't have a frame of reference but can only report on what was on the Ruskin stage the night I saw the revival of this American classic."
Stage Scene LA- Recommended
"...The ups and downs of first love are explored to engaging, tuneful effect in the Ruskin Group Theatre's 65th-anniversary revival of Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt's The Fantasticks, though for me at least, the world's longest-running musical begins somewhat to outstay its welcome at around the two-hour point."
Angeles Stage- Somewhat Recommended
"...I've seen the show in several incarnations. Its signature song "Try to Remember" is a classic - and let's just say that it's especially resonant as we age and, well, try to remember. As for the show itself, I usually enjoy it as pleasant whimsy, not as anything more substantial."
Stage Raw- Recommended
"...The current production at the Ruskin Group Theatre establishes beyond a doubt the undiminished emotional impact of this venerable show. Director Elina de Santos, a proven practitioner who has demonstrated her theatrical mettle again and again over the years, opts for sincerity and simplicity in a luminous staging that ranks among the very best of her many stage successes. Of course, the fact that she has gathered a wonderful cast and a superlative team of designers helps."
Peoples World- Somewhat Recommended
"...The well-directed cast-aka "the Fantastick Eight"-is captivating and enjoyable, Jennifer Pollono's costumes are a couture hoot, Jen Oundjian and Erik Hall's choreography is lively and well-executed, and the songs are always well-sung. Some of the characters made me think of the hobos in Waiting for Godot, the absurdist classic Samuel Beckett penned only seven years before The Fantasticks' debut at the Sullivan Street Playhouse. Throughout the show, without saying or singing a single word, Raven Scott as the Mute remarkably manages to hold her own with her voluble castmates. But having said all this, theatergoers seeking a happily-ever-after love story and September to remember might want to leave after Act I."
Broadway World- Highly Recommended
"...A truly delightful escape, this must-see production is a bit of charmed magic, a fanciful and evocative whimsy. Every moment is exquisitely executed, with magical costumes by Jennifer Pollono (I am in love with each and every single outfit), transportive staging by Bruce Goodrich, and inspired direction by Elina de Santos. The Fantasticks at the Ruskin Theatre has a unique whimsical, bohemian style all of its own that is simply enchanting."