February 2020 Issue

More of what Makes Asheville Special: Dining • Shopping • Galleries • Music • Fun
D o w n t o w n A s h e v i l l e
The longest-running musical in history, ‘The Fantasticks,’
comes to ACT this February
BY STAFF REPORTS • DOWNTOWN ASHEVILLE
The Fantasticks is a funny and
romantic musical about a boy, a girl,
and their two fathers who try to
keep them apart.
The narrator, El Gallo, asks the
audience to use their imagination and
follow him into a world of moonlight
and magic. The lovers fall in love,
grow apart and finally find their way
back to each other after realizing the
truth in El Gallo’s words that, “Without
a hurt, the heart is hollow.” The
story is punctuated by a series of
catchy, memorable songs, many of
which have become classics.
The Fantasticks is directed by
Mark Jones with music direction by
Rob Blackwell and choreography by
Jessica Garland Lowe.
The current production at Asheville
Community Theatre stars a cast of
‘The Fantasticks’ photo by Studio Misha
13 actors from across Buncombe
County. Emma-Leigh Brookshire, a
senior at TC Roberson High School
plays Luisa, opposite Alex Daly as
Matt. Dillon Giles of Asheville stars
as El Gallo. Stan Reeley of Mars Hill
and Brian Weber of Weaverville are
both making their ACT debuts as the
fathers of Luisa and Matt.
The Fantasticks holds the title as
the longest-running musical in history.
It ran for more than 42 years in New
York, for a total of 17,162 performances.
Jones has discovered that
people are eager to see this beloved
show, whether they’ve seen it before
or not.
Asheville Community Theatre
The Fantasticks opens on the
Mainstage February 7 and runs
through March 1 with performances
Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30
pm and Sunday afternoons at 2:30
pm. Two additional performances are
scheduled for Thursday nights February
20 and February 27 at 7:30 pm.
Tickets are available online at
www.ashevilletheatre.org, over the
phone at (828) 254-1320, or in person
at the Asheville Community Theatre
Box Office.
IF
YOU
GO
16 |RAPIDRIVERMAGAZINE.COM | RAPID RIVER’S ARTS & CULTURE | VOL. 23, NO. 6 — FEBRUARY 2020