Jones to Discuss The Fantasticks at Long Wharf Oct. 25

By Adam Hetrick
21 Oct 2009

Fantasticks creator Tom Jones will join the cast of the Long Wharf Theatre production of the beloved musical for a symposium following the Oct. 25 matinee.

Jones, who penned book and lyrics to the long-running Off-Broadway musical with his collaborator Harvey Schmidt, will join Long Wharf associate artistic director Eric Ting for the discussion.

In addition to his writing credits on The Fantasticks, Jones appeared in the Off-Broadway run of the musical (under the alias Thomas Bruce) as Henry, the Old Actor. He also staged the current Off-Broadway revival that currently plays the Snapple Theatre Center's Jerry Orbach Theatre.

"It is funny and romantic and has some beautiful numbers and some comedic numbers," Jones said of The Fantasticks in a statement. "It is very much a celebration of the theatre itself and the possibilities of what you can do within the theatre."

The Long Wharf production of The Fantasticks, which runs through Nov. 1, features Jessica Grové, David Nathan Perlow, Michael Sharon, William Parry, Dan Sharkey, Ray DeMattis and Jonathan Randell Silver, under the direction of Amanda Dehnert.

In addition to The Fantasticks, book writer and lyricist Tom Jones and composer Harvey Schmidt have created the musicals 110 in the Shade, I Do! I Do!, Celebration, Philemon, Mirette, Collette Collage and Grover's Corners.

The Fantasticks includes classics such as "Try to Remember," "They Were You," "Much More," "Soon It's Gonna Rain" and "I Can See It."

For tickets visit LongWharf.org.

The Long Wharf Theatre is located at 222 Sargent Drive in New Haven, CT.