Review: The Fantasticks At The Duchess Theatre

Wednesday 9th June, 4.40pm

The Fantasticks is the most curious production hosted in a major London theatre for some time.

Almost unheard of here, in the States it is the theatrical equivalent of a favourite old jumper. The show, with book and lyrics by Tom Jones (no, not that one) and music by Harvey Schmidt opened off Broadway in 1960 and ran for 42 years, before reopening in New York in 2006, where it is still going strong.

Luke Brady and Lorna Want in The Fantasticks

The story is a familiar one: two buffoonish fathers trick their children into falling in love by building a wall between their gardens and stage a mock rivalry, safe in the knowledge that their offspring will do the utmost to defy their parents. But of course, we know what they say about best laid plans, and it’s upon this point that the show pivots.

The joyful first act contains the best songs, including the beautifully melancholic Try To Remember, sung by Narrator Hadley Fraser, and his singing is matched only by Lorna Want as The Girl, whose clear voice and fresh-faced appeal marks her out for bigger things.

In fact, strong vocal arrangements are a hallmark of the show, and the whole cast do an excellent job with the sometimes complex, but always impressive, group harmonies. However, it must be said that The Boy, played by Luke Brady, struggles with his lower register so much to be practically silent at times.

But this is a minor complaint about a remarkable show that challenges the West End’s status quo. Slapstick comedy, references to the classics, pointed asides to the audience twinned with traditional musical conceits make The Fantasticks a different breed of musical, but one that is rewarding if you enter into the Duchess Theatre with the right frame of mind.

The first thing that will strike you is the economical set; a simple raised diamond-shaped platform with no dressing save an ingenious use of lighting and simple props. Through the judicious use of glitter and a simple glowing circle of light, we are thrown into a luminescent nighttime scene; while torn scraps of paper and a well-directed fan do a far better job of creating snowfall than an enormous hi-def translucent projection screen ever could.

Sometimes the story requires more than the minimalist set can offer, and in these moments a cast member is used as a prop, a piece of scenery or a supporting character. At the beginning of the show, this actor is referred to as ‘the wall’, ironic given the fourth wall that usually separates audience and players is smashed to pieces from the very beginning. When The Narrator first comes onstage, he immediately addresses the audience and throughout the show characters play directly to spectators, including those lucky (or unlucky) enough to be seated on benches that form part of the performing space.

Vaudeville, melodrama, commedia dell’arte, elements of Oriental theatre and traditional Western musicals all come together to form an intriguing production

As the story progresses, and the fathers’ plans fall apart, comic relief comes from a pair of down-on-their-luck actors, Henry and Mortimer (Edward Petherbridge and Paul Hunter), who alongside their first-rate clowning, bring an almost Beckett-like nihilism to proceedings, carrying echoes of Lucky and Pozzo.

It’s with this fascinating mix of styles that The Fantasticks will either grab you and refuse to let go, or lose you completely. Vaudeville, melodrama, commedia dell’arte, elements of Oriental theatre and traditional Western musicals all come together to form an intriguing production that begs to be dissected. However, this amalgamation of ideas and influences is also part of the show’s weakness, for at times it feels like a mishmash of half-remembered theatrical devices that don’t quite meet at the edges.

Likewise, the whimsical ebb and flow of proceedings will either bewitch you entirely or have you looking at your watch.

The Fantasticks is not for everyone, and it may not be around for long, for as Enron has proved, what a British audience enjoys is very different to what an American audience enjoys. If you prefer your theatre to be strictly traditional, then it would be wise to avoid, however if you’ve had your fill of Jersey Boys and its ilk, and want something a little more challenging, The Fantasticks is an accessible and enjoyable way to experience more adventurous theatre.