Oliver temporarily replaces Macintyre Dixon, who was injured during rehearsals for the Tom Jones-Harvey Schmidt musical. As previously reported, Dixon tore his Achilles tendon during a rehearsal for The Fantasticks, which is scheduled to begin previews July 29 at the Snapple Theater Center.

The cast of The Fantasticks also includes Thomas Bruce (Tom Jones) as Henry, Leo Burmester as Hucklebee, Santino Fontana as Matt, Sara Jean Ford as Luisa, James Moye as El Gallo, Douglas Ullman, Jr. as The Mute and Martin Vidnovic as Bellomy. Directed by co-creator Jones, The Fantasticks will officially open Aug. 16.

Robert R. Oliver has been seen Off-Broadway in Tony n' Tina's Wedding and The Fantasticks and has over 70 stage and screen credits. Among his favorite roles are Pete in Girl Crazy (opposite Lorna Luft), Hysterium in Forum (Carbonell Award Honorable Mention) and Doolittle in My Fair Lady.

MacIntyre Dixon's Broadway credits include Gypsy, The Crucible, Getting and Spending, 1776, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Tempest, Beauty and the Beast, 3 Penny Opera, Broadway Bound, Alice in Wonderland, Once in a Lifetime, Over Here!, Twigs, Ovid's Metamorphoses, Paul Sills' Story Theatre, Cop-Out and Xmas in Las Vegas.

The Fantasticks, according to press notes, "tells the story of a young boy and girl who fall madly in love at the hands of their meddling fathers, but soon grow restless and stray from one another. Will their separation provide a deeper appreciation for the love they once shared or create a permanent gulf between them?" Song titles include "Try to Remember," "Much More" and "I Can See It." The coming-of-age fable is the world's longest-running musical, and played a record-breaking run of more than 17,000 performances in Greenwich Village. The Fantasticks originally opened at the Sullivan Street Playhouse in May 1960 and closed Jan. 13, 2002. The original company included Wedding Singer star Rita Gardner and the late Jerry Orbach. Harvey Schmidt wrote the music, and Tom Jones penned the book and lyrics. Word Baker directed the original Off-Broadway company.

The Fantasticks will play Mondays at 8:30 PM, Wednesdays at 2:30 PM, Thursdays and Fridays at 8:30 PM, Saturdays at 2:30 and 8:30 PM and Sundays at 3:30 and 7:30 PM. Tickets, priced at $75, are available by calling (212) 307-4100.

The Snapple Theater Center is located at 210 West 50th Street at Broadway. For more information visit www.fantasticksonstage.com.