"The Fantasticks" is the longest running stage production ever, even over "Phantom of the Opera". For those who don't know, it ran off-Broadway for nearly 42 years and now is back and has been playing for about another four years. The musical has its detractors but I am not one of them. While the show does lose its luster in parts during Act Two, some of the songs in this musical are among the best ever written for musical theater. Other than the wonderful classic, "Try to Remember", this show includes the hilarious "It Depends on What You Pay" and the beautiful and haunting "They Were You" among others.
The movie version has a good cast. The two leads (Kelly and McIntyre) are very good and you also have Joel Grey in the mix, but this version falls flat. The direction and the editing are very bizarre (especially during the father duet "Never Say No") and the movie leaves the show's most famous song which opens the musical, the previously mentioned "Try to Remember" and leaves it for the very end as an afterthought.
A lot of the magic is lost in this version and I can see why it was shelved for five years. Quite a shame...but if you can see a great production on stage, it will be more worth the look then.
The movie version has a good cast. The two leads (Kelly and McIntyre) are very good and you also have Joel Grey in the mix, but this version falls flat. The direction and the editing are very bizarre (especially during the father duet "Never Say No") and the movie leaves the show's most famous song which opens the musical, the previously mentioned "Try to Remember" and leaves it for the very end as an afterthought.
A lot of the magic is lost in this version and I can see why it was shelved for five years. Quite a shame...but if you can see a great production on stage, it will be more worth the look then.