The Fantasticks

I've got a stupid question. What is "The Fantasticks" about? I'm singing the song "Much More" for a voice recital this spring and I love the song. I was just wondering what this musical is about?

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Oh.....exciting!

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Thanks for giving me a little more insight about this musical. It makes me sorta want to go out and buy the soundtrack!

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There are actually three...the original, the Japanese production (it's in English though!) and the current off-Broadway production. Nothing beats the original, but the Japanese one is good because it includes SO much dialogue and an extra song that was written for Robert Goulet when he did the show. I really enjoy the current one as well...Santino Fontana, who played The Boy, has a GORGEOUS, strong voice.

The original is still the best. Cant tell you why, but it just has this wonderful sensibility about itself, while the two others seem a bit forced at times.

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I'm seeing this show tonight, and know nothing about it except what was just written in this thread. I hope it's good.

Much More is about the girl wanting more than just to settle for what she's expected to have in her life. Don't see the movie. It's pretty bad. If you live in NYC, go to the Museum of TV and Radio. You can see the 1964 TV version with Ricardo Montalban, Susan Watson and John Davidson to get an idea of the show, or simply go to the off-Broadway production. Also, as others have stated, there's nothing like the first recording. I had the pleasure of seeing Rita Gardner in The Wedding Singer last year. I've been a fan of hers for 40 years. Also, go to the Music Theatre International website for more information on this incredible musical. I never tire of the show. I've seen 5 productions, each of them different, including the off-Broadway show at Sullivan Street in 1997.

There's something special about a show that runs 43 years!

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The show is based on a one-act by Edmond Rostand, the author of Cyrano de Bergerac, which translated into English is The Romancers. My guess is that Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt wanted a title that was fanciful, and came up with The Fantasticks.

I wish I had a better explanation.

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It stems from George Fleming's 1900 translation of The Romanesques. He used the word fantastic to mean "one who is fantastic/fanciful in conduct or appearance." To make it even more special, he added the K at the end of the word fantastic. Jones/Schmidt rolled with it.

But surely the word "Fantasticks" appears somewhere in the play?

"But surely the word "Fantasticks" appears somewhere in the play?"

Yes, it's just kind of tossed in. One of the fathers says, "My son, he is fantastic!". And the other father says, "My daughter, she is fantastic, too!" (It could be the other way around.)

folkyboy, when I saw the show I was thinking, "Oh, so he really DOES sound like that, Gaston was not a character voice..." then again I guess he could have been putting on the identical voice for this show, but that just seems weird.

Updated On: 2/21/07 at 09:44 AM

There are actually four English recordings of The Fantasticks. It is difficult to find, but the King's College of Wimbeldon recorded their production.