Vidnovic, Dixon, Moye, Etc. Set for Fantasticks Revival

Steven Baruch, Marc Routh, Richard Frankel and Thomas Viertel have announced the cast for their new production of The Fantasticks, the world's longest running musical, beginning preview performances on Saturday, July 29, 2006 and opening on Wednesday, August 16 at New York's brand new Snapple Theater Center (210 West 50th Street at Broadway).

The show will star Thomas Bruce (The Fantasticks at the Sullivan Street Playhouse) as Henry, Leo Burmester (Les Miserables, Big River) as Hucklebee, MacIntyre Dixon (Sly Fox, Gypsy) as Mortimer, Santino Fontana (Guthrie Theatre's Hamlet) as Matt, Sara Jean Ford (Glinda/Nessarose understudy in Chicago Wicked) as Luisa, James Moye (The Full Monty, Urinetown) as El Gallo, Douglas Ullman, Jr. (Asian Sound of Music tour) as The Mute and Martin Vidnovic (Baby, Oklahoma!, Brigadoon) as Bellomy.

This beloved musical love story features music by Harvey Schmidt and book and lyrics by Tom Jones.  Jones will also direct The Fantasticks, which was originally directed by Word Baker.

"The Fantasticks 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?  The musical is the quintessential celebration of love, in all its gorgeous simplicity and heartbreaking complexities," according to press notes.  It features such classic tunes as "Try To Remember," "Much More," and "I Can See It."

The show originally opened at New York's Sullivan Street Playhouse on May 3, 1960 and played 17,162 performances before closing January 13, 2002, making it the world's longest running musical.  Audiences have enjoyed 11,103 productions of the show in over 3,000 cities and towns throughout the United States. Internationally, more than 700 productions have been staged in 68 nations from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, and beyond.

Steven Baruch, Marc Routh, Richard Frankel and Thomas Viertel have produced 60 shows throughout the world over 20 years-from Driving Miss Daisy, Penn & Teller and Love Letters in the '80s to Smokey Joes's Café, Angels in America and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in the '90s to The Producers, Hairspray and Sweeney Todd now on Broadway.  They will be represented on Broadway this fall by John Doyle's new production of Stephen Sondheim's Company.

The playing schedule for the show will be as follows: Monday at 8:30pm, Wednesday at 2:30pm, Thursday and Friday at 8:30pm, Saturday at 2:30pm and 8:30pm and Sunday at 3:30pm and 7:30pm.  Please note there will be no Wednesday matinee on August 16.  Tickets are $75, and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.com at (212) 307-4100.