ICCT's Fantastick Production of a Modern Classic

By James E. Trainor III

Iowa City - The Fantasticks has been a staple of community theatre for years and, looking at ICCT's production, it's easy to see why. It tells a timeless story, in such a creative and playful way that it remains very fresh. The humor and energy that ICCT's company brings to this piece reminds us why it's so enduring and endearing.

The Fantasticks (book/lyrics by Tom Jones, Music by Harvey Schmidt) is a musical take on Rostand's Les Romanesques, which is in turn a tongue-in-cheek retelling of Ovid's Pyramus and Thisbe. Here, as in the classic tale, the lovers are separated by a wall between the land of their fathers. The feud, however, is a ruse; the fathers are using reverse psychology to trick the children into falling in love. A staged abduction by a ragtag band of actors in the moonlight seals the deal. By the morning, however, the picture's not so pretty, and the show takes us beyond the "happy ending" to see how we cope when our dreams come true, but aren't what we though they would be.

Rich Riggleman's set supports this concept very well. A simple wooden stage-within-the-stage decorated with a few benches and chairs sets up the playing area very clearly. Everything else that's needed is taken out of an unassuming but obviously magical box by the Mute (Regan Loula). Whether it's snow or fire, a bit of tinsel and some lighting (by Rebekah Oulton) does the trick. Rachael Lindhart's costumes finish the look. The lovers and fathers are fully in their characters and immediately recognizable; El Gallo (Kehry Lane) and the Mute are set outside the main action, in black, as if they're stage crew. The overall feel is very successful; it appears the story is being told by a traveling theatre company that once had bigger budgets and sold-out shows. Their youth and vigor and are fading, however, like a lover's dreams, and all that's left is a love of illusion, and the wisdom that comes with age.

Bryan Lawler (as Hucklebee) and Larry Newman (as Bellamy) are a great pair of Pantaloons for the love story, and very funny and real when the young lovers are offstage. Lawler cuts a very grumpy figure, Newman an excessively cheery one, and these two opposites work quite well together as they plot and scheme and vent. "Plant a Radish" is a particularly effective number: the two fathers take comfort in their gardens, as vegetables are a lot more reliable than children. They hit all the jokes with the right comic timing, and the choreography is carried out with snappy precision. It's always a delight to see musical theatre performed with such care and confidence, particularly when the piece itself is so engaging.

The young lovers, Luisa (Mallory Widmer) and Matt (Nicolas Wagner) are skilled actors who throw themselves into their roles. They're a bit sickly sweet in the first act (which is, of course, just right for this piece), and in the second act they show a lot of range. Widmer in particular hits "Much More" with passion, using her expressive eyes to create the silly dreamer that is Luisa. She's a great scene partner; when the seductive El Gallo comes on, seemingly to steal her away from her husband, she responds with plenty of vocal and physical energy. It's really interesting to see how she makes strong acting choices through the choreography -- in "Round and Round," the very theatrical number that stands in for Luisa's "affair," it's clear from the tired way she dances that she's becoming progressively more flustered, more unsure that she really wants what she asked for.

Wagner plays Matt with a sense of humor and a lot of youthful vigor. He works well with Widmer, making the earlier songs sentimental and sweet. When the whole thing turns in the second act, his range really shows. His bitter complaints in "This Plum is Too Ripe" show off his wit and his sense of comic timing. His movement is effective as well; in "I Can See It" he goes off on his journey with a very naive sensuality that is very intense and very real. When he returns, he has a soulful pain to his voice that belies his years.

The pair work well together in the love scenes, each really understanding the types they're playing, but it's the first fight, which is as childish and theatrical as the romantic poems, that really sells the story. After they separate and return to each other, the final number, "They Were You," is more subdued, tender, and mature than anything that came before. As they cuddle up together to survive the coming winter, we have a sense this relationship is going to last. It's quite a journey to go on in the space of an evening, but Widmer and Wagner pull it off.

Of course, no production of The Fantasticks would be complete without strong performances from El Gallo, the Mute, and the actors they call upon. With his rich, deep voice and his dastardly charm, Lane cuts the perfect El Gallo. He is charming, conniving and convincing in "It Depends on What You Pay" and "Round and Round," which is a lot of fun. He also understands the character on a much deeper level, and there is just enough of a hint of the sorrow that haunts the character. When he takes the cheap plastic necklace away from Luisa, metaphorically stealing her childhood and forcing her to grow up, his body language and line readings tell us a lot about El Gallo. There is a sense that he doesn't want to hurt people so badly, though he knows his very job is to cut them so that they develop the scar tissue they need to get through life. We wonder, during the final numbers, if he has the strength and energy to keep doing this for much longer.

Loula is incredibly effective as the Mute. Without a word to work with, she cuts a very clear figure: a confident, professional dramatist who cares about the story she's telling. She works as something of a stage manager, keeping the show rolling along and providing the actors with everything they need, but she also becomes part of the scenery itself. There is a moment early in the play where she creates a wall by standing on a chair and holding out a stick. The moment is funny -- a silent allusion to the ragtag group of actors performing Pyramus and Thisbe in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream -- but it also has the practical effect of serving as "wall" for the lover's scenes. The solemn commitment of Loula's Mute is evident in every scene, and there is a sense that without her careful attention the story would not be the same.

El Gallo's actors, Henry (Joseph Dobrian) and Mortimer (Stephen Stonebraker), are a lot of fun to watch. Henry is an old actor well past his prime, and Mortimer his only company member, who specialized in dying. Dobrian's poorly-remembered quotes from Shakespeare are quite funny, as is Stonebraker's comically outrageous death scene. In addition, the two fill in throughout the bigger numbers sporting a number of ridiculous costumes. With their skill and wit, they fit into this company very well.

Josh Sazon, who directs, and Fawn Boston-Halter, who choreographs, obviously understand the appeal of this piece and approach it with care and creativity. The show moves along without a hitch, and the staging and choreography tell the story extremely well. Music director Judy Duncan guides the cast through the score's many flights of fancy. The Fantasticks is a great choice for ICCT, a really fun and meaningful story with an inventive score. Do yourself a favor and check out a "fantastic" production of this modern classic.

The Fantasticks runs through September 23 at the Johnson County Fairgrounds. Tickets are $17 ($14 students/seniors, $8 children).