THE FANTASTICKS

JULY 9, 14*, 16, 20, 24, 28, 30*, 31, 2021 (*matinee)

Photo by: Waldron Creative

Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre’s Production of

THE FANTASTICKS

Book and Lyrics by TOM JONES

Music by HARVEY SCHMIDT

The Musical is suggested by a play Les Romanesque by Edmund Rostand.

Since its opening in May 1960 at the Sullivan Street Playhouse in New York, and its subsequent revival at the Jerry Orbach Theatre, The Fantasticks remains the longest-running production of any kind in the history of American theatre.

*NOTE The tambourine in tonight’s performance is one of three artifacts remaining from the original production of FANTASTICKS used opening night, May 3, 1960. The other two are the actor’s trunk on display at the Smithsonian Institute and the moon in the personal collection of Tom Jones, lyricist/ book writer. The tambourine was given to Michael Ballam on January 14, 2002, the morning after FANTASTICKS closed at the Sullivan Street Playhouse after 17,162 performances before moving uptown where it shut down during COVID 19 after having played 21,552 performances. FANTASTICKS surpasses the second longest-running Broadway Musical, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA by nearly double.

Production Exclusively Sponsored by:

Director Rory Willats Music Director Gerald Steichen Set Designer Tim Case Costume Designer Jennifer Sheshko Wood Lighting Designer Chris Wood Wig and Make Up Designer Melyssa Swensen Sound Designer Carl “C. J.” Whittaker

The Cast

The Mute Alex Lambert The Narrator (El Gallo) Kyle Pfortmiller The Girl (Luisa) Vanessa Ballam The Boy (Matt) Stefan Espinosa

The Boy’s Father (Hucklebee) Curt Olds

The Girl’s Father (Bellomy) W Lee Daily The Old Actor (Henry) Jared Rounds The Man Who Dies (Mortimer) Levi Hopkins

Rehearsal Pianist Emily Baltzer Fight Choreographer / Dialect Coach Stefan Espinosa

Assistant Fight Choreographer Jacob Wynn Stage Manager Michelle Chesley Assistant Stage Manager Hannah Blaile

THE FANTASTICKS is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.MTIShows.com

The videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.