The SF PlayhouseCloses THE FANTASTICKS 9/4

The SF Playhouse (Bill English, Artistic Director; Susi Damilano, Producing Director) announces change in summer programming. The previously announced show The Full Monty, will be replaced by The Fantasticks. All tickets issued continue to be valid, only the show has changed.

The original production of The Fantasticks opened on May 3, 1960 at the Sullivan Street Playhouse - a small theatre in New York's Greenwich Village. The musical tradition created by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt continues to this day. The Fantasticks is now running strong at the Snapple Theatre and is set to begin its 50th year.

Artistic Director Bill English commented, "On this 50th anniversary of my favorite musical, I could not resist the opportunity to take a look at The Fantasticks from a new angle. What if the world of The Fantasticks was not so whimsical or perfect? How would the songs and story translate? What if we set the "Try to Remember" song in a world devastated by Global warming so that a time when "grass was green and grain was yellow," was a dim memory, when the ozone layer had been burnt off and "Soon it's Gonna Rain" was a desperate wish, not a certainty? By re-imagining this classic in the wasteland of a man-made future, we hope to bring new resonance to its theme of hope and of facing the truth, before one can grow.

Tom Jones (book and lyrics) and Harvey Schmidt (music) created The Fantasticks in the spirit of a whimsical Romeo & Juliet. The Boy and The Girl grow up next door to each other, separated by a wall their feuding fathers built to keep them apart. Knowing their children would do anything they said "no" to, the forbidden wall makes The Boy and The Girl fall wildly in love with each other. Once they discover that their fathers actually planned the whole thing to get them together, their romance suffers a series of whimsical and melodramatic developments. In the end, aided by a mysterious swashbuckling dream-weaver and his comical associates, the lovers mature, and love conquers all.

Casting to be announced.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, The Fantasticks is re-imagined in a world devastated by Global warming to bring new resonance to its theme of hope and of facing the truth, before one can grow. Beautiful melodies, among them the hit songs "Try to Remember" and "Soon It's Gonna Rain" sparkle throughout the comedy and evoke the agony and rapture of being young, full of dreams, and giddy with love.

Previews at 8pm on June 15, 16, 17, 18; Open: June 19, 2010; Close: Sept. 4, 2010

The show will play Tuesdays at 7pm (except previews), Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., plus Saturdays at 3p.m.

The SF Playhouse is located at 533 Sutter Street (one block off Union Square, b/n Powell & Mason).

For tickets ($30 -$50) or more information, call The SF Playhouse box office at 415-677-9596, or www.sfplayhouse.org.