THE FANTASTICKS Comes to Quintessence This Holiday Season

This holiday season Quintessence presents The Fantasticks, the legendary longest running musical that ran off-Broadway for over 55 years. In residence at the historic Sedgwick Theater in Northwest Philadelphia, Quintessence is Philadelphia’s award-winning classic repertory theatre company and welcomes musical theatre lovers of all ages to remember this classic romance: a story of two young neighbors tricked into falling in love by their conniving parents through the construction of a wall and other cockamamie stratagems. When the parents’ plan backfires, and the young romantics’ love falls apart, life’s reality becomes clear, and the young lovers get to dream their own dreams, plan their own futures, and discover what true love really means. 

Including the iconic songs “Try To Remember,” “Plant a Radish,” and “They Were You,” and crafted by the late Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, Quintessence will be producing the 2009 revised version of the musical with lyrics approved by Tom Jones. 

Performances start November 22 and run through December 31. Pay-What-You-Can is Wednesday, November 22 at 7:30pm. Opening Night is Friday, December 1 at 7:30pm. Quintessence is in residence at the Sedgwick Theater located at 7137 Germantown Avenue in Mt. Airy. Public and street parking is available. 

Adult General Admission tickets start at $30. Season Subscriptions are on sale now and discounts are available for groups, seniors, students and educators, active military, youth and industry. Reserved Premium seating is also available for $10 per ticket. For tickets visit the 24-hour online Box Office at www.qtgrep.org or call Mon-Fri, noon-5pm at 215-987-4450, ext. 1. Additional information is available online at www.qtgrep.org, or by emailing boxoffice@qtgrep.org 

“The Fantasticks is a celebration of the power of storytelling and theatrical imagination,” says Quintessence Artistic Director Alex Burns. “Tom Jones’ presents his adaptation of Rostand’s classic French rom-com through a group of traveling players performing an epic fantasy, full of romance and adventure, sword fights and abductions, transformation and wonder. I can’t imagine a better or more pleasing way to escape from the world’s complexities than by sharing this fantastical tale of young love, and a celebration of the simple and essential things in our lives. Our ensemble includes five of Philadelphia's finest comedic actors, and we can’t wait to make you laugh and fall back in love with The Fantasticks.”  

Led by celebrated Philadelphia director Megan Bellwoar, a cast of Philadelphia’s finest and Quintessence favorites fill this fantastic ensemble. Frank X*, who was Barrymore-nominated for his performance in Quintessence’s The Chairs last season, returns to play The Old Actor, Henry. Steven Wright*, who last directed Camille at Quintessence and has been seen in productions of The Cure At Troy and Oliver!, is playing Bellomy, the Girl’s Father. Eleni Delopoulos, who appeared in Quintessence’s Mary Poppins, and as Paulina in The Winter’s Tale and Oliver! is playing Hucklebee, the Boy’s parent. John Zak*, who last appeared at Quintessence in the repertory of The Winter’s Tale and The Alchemist returns to play Mortimer, The Man Who Dies. And Brandon Walters as The Boy (Matt) returns to Philadelphia, having previously stormed the city as Christy Mahon in Quintessence’s Playboy of the Western World. Making their Quintessence debuts are Kevin Toniazzo-Naughton* as El Gallo, the Narrator; Raffela Cicchetti as The Girl (Luisa); and celebrated Philadelphia area choreographer Karen Getz as The Mute. 

Megan Jones (Quintessence’s Awake and Sing!) is the Set Designer. Curtis Coyote is the Props and Puppet Designer. Sydnei Williams* is the Stage Manager. Making their Quintessence debuts are Lily Fossner as the Lighting Designer; Ariel Wang as the Costume Designer; Terri J. McIntyre as the fight director and Karen Getz is the choreographer.

“The Fantasticks feels like an old friend who's grown up a bit since the last time we were together,” said Bellwoar. “The book has been revised in some really helpful and important ways...but the delightful score, the hilarious and deeply human characters, and the wild theatrics are all there. Our rockstar cast (including Quintessence favorites like Frank X, Eleni Delopoulos and Steven Wright) is already discovering the delicious layers in the play's apparent simplicity. We can't wait to share it with our audiences!"

Loosely based on Edmond Rostand’s (Cyrano de Bergerac) The Romancers, and following the story of Piramus and Thisbe, enshrined by the mechanicals in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, this beloved American musical ruled off-Broadway for four decades, and will delight audiences of all ages this holiday season.

Founded in 2009, the award-winning Quintessence Theatre Group is dedicated to bringing epic works of classic drama and literature to the Contemporary Stage. 

As Philadelphia’s text-based, actor-focused repertory theatre, Quintessence re-envisions the classics to inspire our community to consider what is essential in theatre and in human nature. 

Now in its 14th season at the Sedgwick Theater in Philadelphia’s Northwest neighborhood of Mt. Airy, Quintessence is led by Artistic Director, Alex Burns and Executive Director, Grace Grillet.  

*denotes a member of Actors’ Equity. 

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