On May 3, 1960, a chamber-sized variation on Romeo and Juliet by composer Harvey Schmidt and writer-lyricist Tom Jones opened off-off-Broadway at the Sullivan Street Playhouse. On May 3, 2000, The Fantasticks opened again at the Sullivan Street Playhouse, celebrating 40 continuous years of performances and having long since become the longest-running musical in the history of the world. And while many cast members have come and gone, it's the original cast recording that has become an indelible part of our memory, from the dual pianos dotting the overture and Jerry Orbach's rich reading of "Try to Remember" to the fathers' lament "Never Say No" and the gorgeous duet "Soon It's Gonna Rain." Even better, this anniversary edition CD benefits from remastered sound (you can now hear the harp strum in the opening bars) and a new booklet that includes a note from Jones, an introductory essay, and (drumroll, please) full lyrics. Yes, it's still true that the voices may not have the sheer beauty some modern ears might expect, and the pit band (augmented from two players to five for this recording) sounds a bit dated, but who cares? It's The Fantasticks, an essential piece of musical theater history. Long may it run.
1. Overture
2. Try To Remember
3. Luisa's Introduction
4. Much More
5. Matt's Introduction
6. Metaphor
7. Never Say No
8. El Gallo's Entrance
9. It Depends On What You Pay
10. Players Have Arrived, The
11. You Wonder How These Things Begin
12. Soon It's Gonna Rain
13. Abduction Ballet
14. Old Actors' Farewell
15. Happy Ending
16. Burnished By The Sun
17. This Plum Is Too Ripe
18. This Tear Is Enough
19. I Can See It
20. Socrates And Lodavigo
21. Grant Me In Your Minds A Month
22. Plant A Radish
23. Much More - (reprise)
24. Round And Round
25. Necklace, The
26. I Can See It - (reprise)
27. There Is A Curious Paradox
28. They Were You
29. Try To Remember - (reprise)
30. Curtain Call
31. Perfect Time To Be In Love, A
Fantasticks
