Photos: Porchlight Music Theatre's THE FANTASTICKS

A timeless and universal fable, The Fantasticks is the quintessential celebration of love in all its gorgeous simplicity and heartbreaking complexity. Two scheming fathers attempt to spark a romance between their teenagers by faking a feud. The fathers enlist the aid of a mysterious stranger to add an unexpected tangle to their matchmaking web. The starry-eyed boy and girl next door fall in love, yearn for the dangerous attractions of the world outside, then opt instead for fulfillment in each other's arms and in hearth and home.

The bewitching comedy is based on the tale Les Romanesques by Edmond Rostand and features music by Harvey Schmidt and a book and lyrics by Tom Jones. Its exhilarating score includes the classic songs "Try to Remember" and "Soon It's Gonna Rain."

The Fantasticks is in the Guinness Book of Records as the World's Longest-Running Musical; its original 1960 off-Broadway production ran a total of 42 years and over 17,000 performances. In 1991, the show received the Tony Award for Excellence in Theater. The Fantasticks has been performed in over 11,000 productions in every U.S. state, and more than 700 productions have been staged in 67 nations around the world.

The Fantasticks cast includes Sean Effinger-Dean (from Porchlight's Candide) as Matt, Dan Ferretti as Hucklebee, Ryan Lanning (Porchlight's Candide) as Bellomy, Tanya McBride as The Mute, Jeff Parker (Jeff Nominated for his performance in Porchlight's Nine) as El Gallo, William Raffeld as Henry-the old actor, Rus Rainear (Porchlight's Gypsy) as Mortimer, and Emma Rosenthal as Luisa.

The artistic team is led by Director Sean Kelly. Musical Direction is by Eugene Dizon, Choreography is by Andrew Waters, Costume Design is by Izumi Inaba, and Scenic Design is by Ian Zywica.

Porchlight Music Theatre is honored to present William Raffeld in The Fantasticks. Bill has led the University of Illinois at Chicago's Department of Theatre for the past 45 years. He has been a mentor to director Sean Kelly and Porchlight's Artistic Director, Walter Stearns.

The Fantasticks is the opening of Porchlight's 15th Anniversary Season. The celebration features a season of musicals exploring the challenges and rewards of growing-up: The Fantasticks, Miracle on 34th Street and Into the Woods.