THE FANTASTICKS Original Backers Reap 24,000-percent Return on Investment

Two backers of the original production of THE FANTASTICKS have reaped a 24,000-percent return on their original investment. The production, which began its run in 1960 and and closed in 2002, will still produce income for the family, Marjorie and Malcolm Gray, until 2020 based on the terms of the original contract, which states the backers will receive money for 18 years following the shows final performance.

The couple originally invested $330 in the show, which has since earned them more than $80,000. Mrs. Gray said of the investment, "We would've just been happy to earn our $330 back and get free tickets to a couple of performances. But the ‘Fantasticks' money helped put our three children through college and paid for trips to Guatemala, Costa Rica, Israel. It's certainly been handy to have around for 50 years."

Charles H. Googe, Jr., chairman of the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Whatron, and Garrison who often do work with theatrical contracts, said the investment turned out to be an unusually fruitful one. "‘Wicked' could run as long as ‘The Fantasticks' and pay its investors back handsomely, but it's hard to imagine a rate of return ever again like this. Inexpensive, popular shows like ‘The Fantasticks,' ‘Stomp' and ‘Nunsense' have proved to be unexpectedly good investments."

To read the full article from the New York Times, click here.

The Fantasticks, the world's longest-running musical, will turn 50 this coming Monday, May 3, 2010. On Monday, May 3 - the evening of the actual 50th anniversary - the theater industry will celebrate a theatrical milestone. All audience members at the historic 8PM performance will receive a complimentary commemorative program including a reproduction of the show's opening night program from May 3, 1960. *A select number of remaining tickets for this performance only are currently on sale for the special anniversary price of $50 each. This offer is available by calling the box office at (212) 921-7862. It is not available via Ticketmaster.

When The Fantasticks (music by Harvey Schmidt; book/lyrics/direction by Tom Jones) opened in 1960 at a tiny theater on New York City's Sullivan Street, no one ever dreamed it would run for 17,162 performances and become the world's longest-running musical. Since then there have been over 11,000 productions in more than 3,000 U.S. cities and towns and in 67 countries, from Afghanistan to Iran to Zimbabwe, making The Fantasticks the world's most frequently-produced musical. The show has been performed at The White House and has survived eleven U.S. Presidents beginning with President Eisenhower. Japan, New Zealand, Germany, Australia, Saudi Arabia and Israel have all seen multiple productions. The Fantasticks has been translated into numerous languages including Pashto, Dari, Icelandic, Arabic, Hebrew, Magyar and Mandarin.

The Fantasticks has played all fifty states, plus Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia. It has been performed for the Peace Corps in Africa, at the Shawnee Mission in Kansas, the Menninger Foundation, Olympian Fields, Yellowstone National Park and the White Sands Missile Range. It was performed in Mandarin by the Peking Opera, and in 1990 under the auspices of the United States State Department it played for the first time in Russia. There have been two film versions, one in 1964 and one in 2000, and the list of notable individuals who have appeared in the show through the years includes Jerry Orbach, Glenn Close, Kevin Kline, Liza Minnelli, F. Murray Abraham, Patti LuPone, Kristin Chenoweth, American Idol finalist Anthony Fedorov and Amazing Race winner Nick Spangler.

A modern twist on the Romeo and Juliet tale, The Fantasticks is the quintessential story of a boy and girl falling in love and going out into the world to discover what truly makes them unique. The score, which includes the hit songs "Try To Remember," "They Were You" and "Soon It's Gonna Rain," is as timeless as the story itself.

The Fantasticks company includes Edward Watts (Broadway's Finian's Rainbow), Erik Altemus (Musical Theater Guild of Los Angeles's Parade), Tom Flagg (Broadway's Will Rogers Follies, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Oklahoma), Gene Jones (Broadway's Big River, Joe Turner's Come and Gone; No Country for Old Men), Tom Jones (the show's co-composer, performing under the stage name Thomas Bruce), Matt Leisy (St. Louis Rep's The History Boys), Michael Nostrand (A&E's Emmy Award-winning Peter Pan, national tours of Jelly's Last Jam, The Mystery of Edwin Drood), Evy Ortiz, Steve Routman (The Keen Company's The Conscientious Objector, Awake and Sing! at Arena Stage), Kimberly Whalen (West Side Story, Carousel at Lyric Stage) and Scott Willis (Broadway's Crazy for You, 42nd Street).

The Fantasticks plays at The Snapple Theater Center's Jerry Orbach Theater, 210 West 50th Street at Broadway. The performance schedule is as follows: Mondays at 8PM, Tuesdays at 8PM, Wednesdays at 2PM, Fridays at 8PM, Saturdays at 2PM & 8PM, and Sundays at 3PM & 7:15PM.

Tickets for The Fantasticks are available by calling the box office at (212) 921-7862 or Ticketmaster.com at (212) 307-4100.