I don\u2019t know if I was just too young to understand it, or if, for some reason, since what seems like such a simple story gets pretty complicated along the way, I just lost focus. But all I remembered about it after all these years is the song Try To Remember<\/em>, and that there was a scary male character in it.\u00a0 So, after all these decades, I was happy to get another chance to see this iconic musical again, this time at the Pasadena Playhouse.<\/p>\n And I finally got it!\u00a0 And I wasn\u2019t scared this time!\u00a0 (But now I do<\/em> know what freaked me out a bit back then. More on that down the line.)<\/p>\n Regi Davis, Gedde Watanabe, and Philip Anthony-Rodriguez. Photo by Jim Cox.<\/p><\/div>\n The entire show is enjoyable, and often delightful and charming, especially where the two father characters are concerned, (as portrayed wonderfully by Gedde Watanabe and Regi Davis.)\u00a0 But I\u2019ll tell you right now that my favorite part was hearing Philip Anthony-Rodriguez (as the main dude, El Gallo) sing.\u00a0 His delivery is so beautiful and natural, with no pushing or vocal gymnastics.\u00a0 He sings the classic Try To Remember<\/em> right at the start, and, I swear, I would have been happy to just listen to him sing for the next two hours.\u00a0 (I was also grateful that the musical begins with that song so I didn\u2019t have to be anxious on opening night, waiting to hear it the whole time!)\u00a0 Philip\u2019s presence is majestic. I can just see him playing the king in The King and I<\/em> at some point in his career, although, since he can really<\/em> sing, that may let him out. (It\u2019s more of a sing-talking<\/em> role. Which means I<\/em> can do it!)<\/p>\n I was surprised to see that The Fantasticks<\/em> seems pretty modern, not like it was written the zillion years ago that it was.\u00a0 (It opened in New York in 1960, but was written even earlier than that!) But it turns-out that the director here Seema Sueko, along with the original writer, Tom Jones, (not the famous sexy singer, of course,) did a few updates to the story and lyrics. I just wish they had edited-out the word \u201crape\u201d from one song. Hopefully that will be done in the next production of it, which there always is around the world! (In case you didn\u2019t guess, that’s the part that scared me back in the day. Duh. But it wasn\u2019t even really a rape, thank goodness. It turns-out, that\u2019s a very old use of the word, meaning \u201cabduction.\u201d And the use of it in the show has been controversial from the get-go. But it\u2019s still hard to be belly-laughing as an audience member one minute, and then cringing from the concept of \u201crape\u201d the next.)<\/p>\n Conor Guzm\u00e1n, Ashley Park, Regi Davis, and Gedde Watanabe. Photo by Jim Cox.<\/p><\/div>\n Another possible reason for the modern feel might be the diverse casting. Since you sort-of have to suspend belief for the entire premise of the show, anyway, it should not matter to anyone that the two families are made up of multiple ethnicities, which I\u2019m sure was not the case in the original production. All that matters is that every single actor gives it their all, and can sing well and be funny. And serious, when necessary.<\/p>\n So, before I tell you more about this<\/em> production of the musical, here\u2019s a bit of background on the story itself, (for those of you who don\u2019t spend the hours on research that I<\/em> do!) Something I never knew about The Fantasticks<\/em> is that it\u2019s based on a \u201cburlesque,\u201d titled\u00a0Les Romanesques<\/em>, which was written by Edmond Rostand, (of Cyrano de Bergerac<\/em> fame,) and\u00a0was produced in 1894 at the Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Fran\u00e7ais. Wow! So, I\u2019m even more amazed that this story holds-up so well than I was just seeing it! (And many of the lines are timeless.\u00a0 I especially loved, \u201cThat most stringent teacher\u2014time,\u201d and that the nineteen-year-old boy says of his sixteen-year-old girlfriend, \u201cShe makes me young again.\u201d Great!)<\/p>\n I’m sure others have, and still will, analyze the show to death.\u00a0 But, even though several of the images in it are disturbing, I’m just taking it at entertainment value.\u00a0 And that it has.\u00a0 In spades.<\/p>\n Even though, as I said, Philip Anthony-Rodriguez (with his beautiful blue eyes,) was my favorite, each actor did his or her part perfectly. For example, I knew right away that Alyse Rockett, (as The Mute, so of course she has no lines,) is a dancer, even though that was not what the role was. So, for once, I have no complaints in the acting department. (Isn\u2019t that<\/em> refreshing?!)<\/p>\n Hal Linden and Amir Talai. Photo by Jim Cox.<\/p><\/div>\n And just when the energy of the first act begins to wane a bit, the marvelous Hal Linden, as \u201cthe\u00a0 actor,\u201d and Amir Talai as his sidekick, show-up to give it a much-needed shot of adrenaline. I didn\u2019t even remember those characters, at all, from the first time I saw it, so they were a very pleasant surprise. And both were a laugh riot.<\/p>\n And the music, of course, is fabulous! It was wonderful to hear those famous-though-seldom-sung songs, like\u00a0Soon It\u2019s Gonna Rain <\/em>and Much More<\/em>, performed so beautifully. (But now I can’t stop singing them all day and night! \u00a0It gets annoying, especially to Mr. X!) And they were all accompanied by just David O on piano, with an occasional lovely assist from harpist Liesl Erman. Who needs an orchestra when you have this time-honored Harvey Schmidt\/Tom Jones-composed score?!<\/p>\n Ashley Park, Alyse Rockett, and Conor Guzm\u00e1n. Photo by Jim Cox.<\/p><\/div>\n Even though I still don\u2019t understand the complicated set, I didn\u2019t let it bother me. (I think it\u2019s supposed to be that a group of actors break into an abandoned theatre, which this very Playhouse was from 1969-1985(!) and put on a play. But for whom? They sometimes talk to the audience, so then that would negate that it\u2019s abandoned. Oh well. No need to use real brain power on it, though; just go with the flow.) \u00a0And, outside of the all-gray hip-hop-type outfit on The Mute, I was not a fan of\u00a0the wardrobe, which didn’t fit even one actor very well. But that\u2019s another oh well. It does not ruin the enjoyment of the show in the least. I\u2019m just noting it here, in case you think the same when you see it, so you know you\u2019re not alone.<\/p>\n But The Fantasticks<\/em> is a fantastic night of entertainment! (Sorry\u2014I just could not help myself!) I can’t imagine anyone<\/em> not enjoying it.<\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n One of the perks I love about the Pasadena Playhouse is the little \u201cmuseum\u201d room off to one side of the courtyard. (Its actual moniker is the Georgia T. McClay Friendship Center.) It always has an exhibit to go along with whichever show is running at the time. So, this one was all about the loooong history of The Fantasticks<\/em>, and also about love, (which is considered to be the theme of the show.) There\u2019s an area where guests are asked to write something about love on the papers provided, and then leave them in\u00a0an\u00a0antique train case, (which made my mouth water, of course.) I guess they\u2019re supposed to be anonymous, but I\u2019ll tell you what I wrote, which I still don\u2019t know how it occurred to me at that moment.<\/p>\n It\u2019s from Kahlil Gibran\u2019s The Prophet<\/em>, which is, to me, the greatest book ever written. In it, the Prophet speaks on many topics, and part of what he has to say On Love has stuck with me since I was a teen-ager. Describing love as \u201ca seasonless world,\u201d he says without<\/em> love, \u201c…you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears.\u201d That is so true in my experience with Mr. X, (although I would have rathered never experience the \u201call of your tears\u201d part,) that I just had to share it.<\/p>\n Speaking of sharing, go share this Pasadena Playhouse version of The Fantasticks<\/em> with a fun\u00a0someone\u00a0right now, while you can! I doubt the next worldwide production of it will be as good as this one!<\/p>\n The Fantasticks<\/em> running through October 2, 2016<\/strong> THE FANTASTICKS Growing-up in New York, my parents took me to more shows than most people see in their entire lifetimes.\u00a0 They were both beloved high school teachers, and many of their students stayed in touch with them through life.\u00a0 So, when one of their highly successful alumni was involved with a professional production of<\/p>\n![\"Regi](\"http:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/JIM_6057-1200-e1473811548269.jpg\")
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\n Pasadena Playhouse 39 South El Molino Ave. Pasadena 626-356-7529 www.PasadenaPlayhouse.org<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"