Contact: Jim Byk | Shane Marshall Brown
THE FANTASTICKS
Book and lyrics by Tom Jones
Music by Harvey Schmidt
Directed and Choreographed by Christopher Gattelli
Producers Broadway & Beyond Theatricals, Daryl Roth, and True North Theatricals are pleased to announce that a groundbreaking production of the beloved musical The Fantasticks, reimagined as a contemporary gay love story, is now in development for Broadway under the direction and choreography of Tony Award winner Christopher Gattelli (Broadway: Death Becomes Her, Newsies).
Featuring a revised book and lyrics by Tom Jones and music by Harvey Schmidt, this new version of the world’s longest-running musical was completed by Jones before his death in 2023. The adaptation was first presented in 2022 to critical acclaim at Flint Repertory Theatre in Flint, MI, and continued its development at several other theatres including Provincetown Playhouse in Provincetown, MA, and Coachella Valley Repertory in Cathedral City, CA.
In this re-envisioned Fantasticks, the central romantic pair—traditionally Matt and Luisa—are now Matt and Lewis, reinterpreting the story’s delicate allegory of love, longing, and reconciliation through a gay lens. The show’s original pair of fathers, who secretly orchestrate the clandestine love affair between their children, are now mothers.
Speaking of the adaptation in 2022, Jones told Playbill, “I knew that to be done properly it would require a lot of rewriting, especially of lyrics. The more I thought about it, the more interesting it seemed. And when I actually began working on it, I became more and more enthusiastic. I had great fun doing it. I hope people have great fun viewing it.”
Originally premiering Off-Broadway on May 3, 1960, at the Sullivan Street Playhouse in Greenwich Village, The Fantasticks ran for 42 years, playing 17,162 performances, making it the world’s longest-running musical. The original cast included Jerry Orbach, Rita Gardner, and Kenneth Nelson. Notable performers who have taken on roles in the show or its revivals include Liza Minnelli, Ricardo Montalbán, Kristin Chenoweth, John Goodman, Megan Mullally, Santino Fontana, and many others. As for its music, the show’s signature ballad, “Try to Remember,” has been recorded by hundreds of artists, including Harry Belafonte, Bobby Darin, Gladys Knight, and Plácido Domingo. Other beloved songs from the score, such as “Soon It’s Gonna Rain” and “They Were You,” are widely recognized and have been interpreted over the decades by Barbra Streisand, Julie Andrews, Tony Bennett, Perry Como, Josh Groban, and Dionne Warwick, among others.
The production will feature new orchestrations by Tony Award nominee Sam Davis (Broadway: Death Becomes Her, New York, New York), scenic design by Jason Sherwood (Emmy Award winner for The Academy Awards; Off-Broadway: The Baker’s Wife, Bad Kreyòl) and casting by The Telsey Office / Patrick Goodwin, CSA (Broadway: Hamilton, Ragtime, Maybe Happy Ending).
Casting, additional creative team members, and performance timeline will be announced in the coming months.
General management is by DR Theatrical Management. Dan Shaheen represents the musicals of Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt.