“Everything old is new again.” As the Geauga Lyric Theater Guild (GLTG) put together its 60th anniversary season, with shows that previously appeared on Guild stages throughout the years, the challenge was finding the new within the old.
GLTG is off to a good start with The Fantasticks, which continues its run through September 28.
Can a 56 year old musical maintain its appeal today? Ask Chardon High School senior Matt Gittins. “I was surprised about how great the music is,” said young Mr. Gittins, who coincidentally plays the role of “Matt” in the show. “I was also surprised at how clever the show is with all of the great jokes and songs.”
Better yet, ask the thousands of people who made it the world’s longest running musical in New York.One of those in the 1980s was Amy Bennett, who plays The Mute in the GLTG production. “I convinced the box office manager at the Sullivan Street Theater that I needed to see this but I had no money, and ‘could I usher.’ He relented. I saw it! I saw seven shows in five days in NYC that week in the late 1980s.”
The Fantasticks opened Off Broadway in 1960 and ran through 2002 with over 17,000 performances, then reopened a few years later and continues that New York run today. Throughout that time, the GLTG has been evolving in Geauga County, still going strong 60 years later. Why the longevity for a musical that was never expected to hit it big? For Ms. Bennett, “It’s a timeless tale of young love, worldly woes, parental hopes, fate, luck… and remembrance.”
And maybe the GLTG is still here because of the same reasons. According to Matt Gittins, “There is something here for everyone. You don’t want to miss this energetic show full of kumquats.” What does that mean? The answer appears to be at the Geauga Theater this month.
The Geauga Lyric Theater is located at 101 Water Street on the historic Chardon Square. For more information or to purchase tickets go to the website or call 440-286-2255. Check our Facebook page for a special 60th anniversary promotion.
