JUNE 29 - JULY 5, 2005
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
9
PERFORMANCE ARTS
Broadway show debuts on campus
BY LIZ NARTOWICZ
lnartowicz@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Kerri Henderson/KANSAN
(left to right): Kate Hurley (Luisa), Norman senior, Evan C. Grosshans (Matt), Lawrence 2005 graduate, Dianne Yvette-Cook (Hucklebea), Lawrence senior, and Lawrence Henderson (Bellomy), Lansing junior.Matt protected his beloved Luisa as his mom (Hucklebea) threatens them with hedge trimmers during the second act of "The Fantasticks"
The 2005 Kansas Summer Theatre will open its season July 1 with America's longest-running musical, "The Fantasticks."
"The Fantasticks" tells the classic tale of boy meets girl and their difficult decision to choose between the comforts of home and worldly temptations.
The intimate stage, where audience seating is located, is divided into two worlds by a sundial that serves as a fence. One world belongs to the family of the idealistic boy, Matt, and the other to the family of innocent Luisa.
Like Romeo and Juliet, the two fall in love despite their fathers' disapproval. Unlike Shakespeare's masterpiece, "The Fantasticks" has a comical and modern twist.
John Staniunas, associate professor of theatre and film, directs the play. Staniunas said although he was staying true to the play's original content there were minor adaptations to the story.
"As with every production that you do, you try to make it rich for every audience," Staniunas said. "We've added small things like props to update it."
The story behind "The Fantasticks" is as timeless as the play itself. As an adaptation from Edmond Rostand's play "Les Romanesques," author Tom Jones and composer Harvey Schmidt created the play in 1959. The play spent its entire run of 17,162 performances at the Sullivan Street Playhouse in New York's Greenwich Village before closing its curtains in January 2002.
Besides honoring the Sullivan stage for more than 42 consecutive years, "The Fantasticks" has graced stages around the globe, including performances at the White House, Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., and a pre-Taliban Afghanistan. It also had a 1984 stint at the University of Kansas' own Crafton-Preyer Theatre in Murphy Hall.
The KST production is dedicated in the memory of Tom P. Rea, former theatre professor at the University. Rea directed the
1984 production of "The Fantasticks" and died on closing night following a long illness. Cast members from his production along with Rea's family members will attend the July 2 performance.
Donations to the Tom P. Rea Memorial Award can be made through the KU Endowment Association. The award is given annually to a graduating senior who wishes to pursue a career in performance arts.
Edited by Erin M. Droste
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
The KU department of theatre and film's University Theatre will present the romantic musical at 7:30 p.m on July 1,2, 7, 8 and 9. The musical will run at 2:30 p.m. on July 10. All performances will be staged on StageTool in the Crafton-Preyer Theatre in Murphy Hall.
The two-act play will last an hour and a half and will have a 15-minute intermission.
Tickets are $12 for public, $11 for senior citizens and KU faculty and staff and $6 for all students. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Lied Center ticket office, by phone at University Theatre, 864-3982 or online at kutheatre.com. Visa or MasterCard is needed for phone and online orders.
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