Review of 'The Fantasticks' at Arts at Angeloria's

Dedicated to Mark Reese and music director Ed Rosenblatt

Southington, CT - THE FANTASTICKS is a 1960 musical with music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones. The show's original Off-Broadway production ran a total of 42 years and 17,162 performances, making it the world's longest-running musical. This reviewer is at a loss as to why this the case, for it has never been one of my favorites and probably would not even make the middle of my list. I share my opinion of the source material for the current production running at The Arts at Angeloria’s in Southington because the performance was so strong that it forced me to appreciate this old chestnut in a new way.

“There is a curious paradox that no one can explain. Who understands the secret of the reaping of the grain? Who understands why Spring is born out of Winter’s laboring pain, or why we must all die a bit before we grow again? I do not know the answer; I merely know it’s true. I hurt them for that reason, and myself a little bit too.” ― Tom Jones

I guess that the poetic book and breezy, inventive score, including such familiar songs as "Try to Remember", has helped make the show so durable. It is difficult to fault the famous score that also includes the classics "They Were You" and "Soon It's Gonna Rain." But it tells an allegorical story, loosely based on the play THE ROMANCERS (Les Romanesques) by Edmond Rostand, concerning two neighboring fathers who trick their children, Luisa and Matt, into falling in love by pretending to feud.

The show is a funny and romantic musical about a boy, a girl, two gardening fathers and a wall. The narrator, El Gallo, originally played by Jerry Orbach and here brought to glorious life by Ted Andrzejczuk, asks the audience to use their imagination and follow him into a world of moonlight and magic. The boy and the teenaged girl fall in love, grow apart, and finally find their way back to each other after realizing the truth in El Gallo's words that "without a hurt, the heart is hollow." The language and lyrics are very poetic in spots, but the action to me is stylized to a fault, not to mention the whole rape vs. abduction premise.

The absolute best thing about the vision of director/producer/choreographer Angeloria “Lori” Holm is that this version is told with a most effective Steampunk twist. The Steampunk look is a mixture of the Victorian era's romantic view of science in literature and elements from the Industrial Revolution in Europe during the 1800s. It fit perfectly into the strong Victorian design of the unique venue that patrons are able to experience while attending the performance.

In her director’s note (that I did not read until after the performance,) Ms. Holm admits that her honest view of this show was “one of indifference before this experience,” so it appears that we were on the same page. Her vision of what she called “a steam-driven time” is in the industrial look of the set design and set decoration and most definitely in the wonderfully conceived costumes. I am always impressed with the costumes for A@A shows and raved about those that appeared in their production of MAME, but these steampunk ensembles designed by the director raised the bar even higher.

The members of the cast entered from various spots around this very intimate space, making for a strong opening and a string of excellent visual pictures. The pulley system that allowed The Mute to hang the moon and sun was wonderfully designed. The small details on the costumes, like the old buttons on the top hat of Bellomy the button maker and the skirt of his daughter, did not go unnoticed.

Ted Andrzejczuk of the Plantsville section of Southington stepped into the role of the suave and mysterious bandit El Gallo with a wonderfully low speaking voice and a baritone to match. Dressed in black, this actor commanded the stage as he narrated and influenced the action. This show marks Mr. Andrzejczuk’s third turn at A@A; he is the talented husband of the beloved and efficient house mistress Renee Andrzejczuk.

Brandon Brush of Southington brought a boyish charm to the role of the young lover Matt. Mr. Brush is a recent Communications graduate from Southern Connecticut State University, where he also minored in theatre. At SCSU he appeared as Bobby Strong in URINETOWN, Jesus in GODSPELL and Mark in RENT. This young actor had a wonderful stage presence and sang wonderfully; I predict that he will go far in his career in NYC.

Rick Beebe of Hamden was perfectly cast in the role of Henry the actor. He also was part of the productions of THE CLEAN HOUSE and MAME. Christy Donahue of West Hartford also returned to this stage as The Mute, a role that allowed her to watch the action and distribute the props at just the right time.

The glorious soprano of Liz Scarlett Graham of Durham made the character of the young lover Luisa most memorable. Ms. Graham used her well-trained voice and impressive acting to bring the rebellious teenager to life. Kate Simpson of North Branford, a SAG/AFTRA member, returned to the venue to play the role of the actor Mortimer.

Brian Pelkey of Bridgeport, who owned the role of Edna Turnblad in HAIRSPRAY with Landmark, did very well with the role of Hucklebee, the father of the boy. The inimitable Steve Sorriero of Waterbury made his debut with this company in the role of Bellomy in what he calls his favorite show, and rest assured that his performance was magical; he also sported the best hat in a show that was full of them.

Ed Rosenblatt coaxed amazing vocal performances from every actor. Berklee College of Music graduate BIll D’Andrea provided the sublime keyboard accompaniment onstage and in costume. The technical direction of Chris Zajac gets even better with every show and the lighting and sound for this one was excellent.

Coming up at Arts at Angeloria’s is THE ROAST OF SANTA, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS and CITY OF ANGELS (which will be presented in a new larger space on the property.) THE FANTASTICKS closes tomorrow. $25.00 (+service charge) in advance or $35.00 at the door.

All photos above courtesy of The Arts at Angeloria's

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local theatre venues. She posts reviews of well over 100 productions each year. In 2016, she became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She continues to contribute theatre news, previews, and audition notices to local Patch sites. Reviews of all levels of theatrical productions are posted on Naugatuck Patch and the Patch sites closest to the venue. Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and on Twitter @nancysjanis417 Check out the NEW CCC Facebook page.