“I’m passionate about what makes us who we are. How do we learn to live, to love and to survive the beautiful and the strange things that happen to us? Within The Fantasticks, we all take this journey together starting from a time of innocence when our life is nothing more than an untraveled road. Then the road twists and turns. In one of the greatest American musicals, we come to understand that we cannot know joy without knowing pain. The Fantasticks draws across the curtain covering the human heart and tells us about how we become who we are, and how we can make a life.”
Amanda Dehnert is known for her innovative approach to classic musicals and plays. She has worked in the US and Canada and is an assistant professor with Northwestern University in Chicago, where she currently resides.
book and lyrics by Tom Jones
music by Harvey Schmidt
directed by Amanda Dehnert >
November 20, 2009 - January 10, 2010
at the Lincoln Theatre
runtime of 2 hours and 15 minutes
"A delightful holiday package...downright sublime, a revelation!"
-- The Washington Post
"! One of the most special nights of local theater in years!"
-- ABC 7
"Spectacular! A delicious confection of magical theater."
-- CNN iReport
"Try to Remember" a time when The Fantasticks wasn't captivating audiences. The memorable score by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt enlivens the heart of this passionate musical that charmed Off-Broadway for a record-breaking 42 years. In a twist on the classic story of boy meets girl, Matt and Luisa are led by El Gallo from the wistfulness of "when life was slow and oh so mellow" to the reality that "without a hurt the heart is hollow." Rising star director Amanda Dehnert re-imagines this timeless fable in an abandoned amusement park, a perfect playground for the story's emotional carnival.
Amanda Dehnert is known for her innovative approach to classic musicals and plays. She has worked in the US and Canada and is an assistant professor with Northwestern University in Chicago, where she currently resides. 
