Video: Same Heart, New Love Story! Inside Broadway's THE FANTASTICKS

After more than six decades of enchanting audiences, The Fantasticks is finally making its Broadway debut! The beloved musical by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt is getting a fresh new look this fall in a reimagined production from Second Stage Theatre, directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Christopher Gattelli.

BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge caught up with Gattelli and the company for a sneak peek at the production, which puts a new spin on the classic love story. In this version, originally developed by Jones himself, the young lovers are two boys, bringing a new perspective to the musical's timeless themes of love, discovery, and growing up.

"I think that he understood the value of what this piece means to people," explained Gattelli of Jones' decision to revisit the material. "Because it's all about love, it's all about heart, it's all about growing, it's all of those things. And that really touched me, and I wanted to honor that by bringing it to Broadway and give it a really good outing in this new way."

The company of The Fantasticks will feature Maxim Chlumecky as The Boy (Matt), Kevin Del Aguila as The Man Who Dies (Mortimer), David Patrick Kelly as The Old Actor (Henry), Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer as Matt’s Mother (Mildred Hucklebee), Nathan Levy as The Boy (Lewis), Ruthie Ann Miles as Lewis’ Mother, Zane Phillips as The Narrator (El Gallo), and Ahmad Simmons as The Mute. Mr. Phillips will be making his Broadway debut.  

For the cast, exploring familiar characters through a new lens has already led to some unexpected emotional discoveries.

"In rehearsal, we have been crying. We were like, 'Oh my God,' finding all these things, discovering all these things," shared Rodriguez Kritzer. "I think you can feel the energy in the room. It's special. There's something really special."

And it's not just the story that's getting a new treatment! Audiences can also look forward to hearing the musical's iconic songs in expanded orchestrations, with an eight-piece ensemble bringing new life to the score.

"It's just so refreshing at this time to hear such Golden Age material on Broadway," added Chlumecky. "There's gonna be new orchestrations with an eight-piece orchestra instead. It's usually a harp and a piano. It's all gonna sound very new and very, very beautiful."