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Reviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
TRY TO REMEMBER: THE FANTASTICKS
Try to Remember: The Fantasticks is a valentine. From 1960 to 2002, eight times a week,
The Fantasticks played at the Sullivan Street Theatre in New York's Greenwich Village.
This classic fairytale of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl (all with the help of two
devoted fathers) had 17,162 performances. Filmmaker Eli Kabillio traces the Off-Broadway
musical's unprecedented history up until the eve of closing night. Watching the film I was
reminded of the show's groundbreaking minimalist style in sets, costume, music and lyrics. It is
also refreshing to hear the songs again.
Theatre aficionados will appreciate the detailed information gathered from interviews with the creative team,
professors of theatre history, many fans (including columnist Liz Smith) and actors who performed in the show,
including Jerry Orbach. A member of the original cast, Orbach predicted in 1960 the show would run for three or
four years. To his and everyone else's surprise, the show would eventually be performed in 30 different countries, in
25 different languages.
The interview with Ira Joe Fisher, CBS television weather reporter, is particularly moving. Fisher once played one of the
fathers. At the thought of the show's closing, he is brought to tears. Indeed, the tone of the documentary is both a
celebration and a bittersweet farewell. Try to Remember: The Fantasticks keeps the joyful memories of the
show alive and reminds us to never forget that imagination matched with a genuine appreciation of the human heart
creates beautiful art.
DVD Extras: Especially fun are the backstage anecdotes. Recalled are the times the show was performed for
an audience of one and the frantic search for a last-minute replacement, which ended by pulling a former cast
member off the street just as he happened to be passing by the theatre.
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