‘The Fantasticks’ has enormous charm

A girl, a boy, two dads and a wall. With the help of magic, moonlight and metaphor, those simple elements engage us in the timeless musical, “The Fantasticks.”

A spry ensemble and imaginative staging by director Maggie Ryan have breathed new life into the world’s longest running musical (off-Broadway 1960-2002, then Broadway revival since 2006). Insight Theatre Company’s production has emphasized the fanciful romanticism with enormous charm.

The slim story is a classic allegory about a young couple whose scheming fathers pretend to feud in order for the pair to fall in love and live happily ever after. But alas, the truth comes out. A mysterious ringleader, El Gallo, shows Matt and Luisa that they must experience heartache and the loss of innocence on their journey.

The three leads display supple, expressive voices. Martin Fox, as El Gallo, had me at “Try to Remember,” the musical’s signature song that’s every bit as wistful now as it was when I first saw this musical 43 years ago. Christina Ramirez and Adam Hunn make fetching lovebirds, striking the right emotional tone at every juncture. Their duets of “They Were You,” “Soon It’s Gonna Rain”and “Metaphor” are lovely.

The lush, lyrical score by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt is handled well by music director Catherine Edwards Kopff, who is also the pianist besides leading a quartet.

The music’s humorous touches are crisply delivered by the dads, Michael Brightman and Tom Murray as Bellomy and Hucklebee, especially in “Plant a Radish” and “Never Say No.”

As Henry, the hammy veteran actor, Joneal Joplin demonstrates why he is a local legend. Clearly having a blast as the seriously committed master thespian, Joplin’s exceptional skills and physicality were a joy to behold. Tom Wethington was amusing as Henry’s partner in the traveling carnival, who took great pride in his death scenes.

James Kerr was splendid as The Mute, a more animated portrayal that helped create the moods. His well-timed sprinklings of confetti extracted smiles.

The scenic design by Luke Shyrock included a red-striped circus tent and sparse elements that helped add a little texture.

The musical is often staged, and sometimes can feel tired all these years later. But Insight’s robust version made me forget the mediocre ones, and feel good about how an old small-scale chestnut can be poignant today with its simple message about love.

This story was originally published July 6, 2015 at 9:06 AM with the headline "‘The Fantasticks’ has enormous charm."