Tom jones fantasticks biography of michael jackson
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NEW YORK (AP) — Tom Jones, the lyricist, director and writer of “The Fantasticks,” the longest-running musical in history, has died. He was
Jones died Friday at his home in Sharon, Connecticut, according to Dan Shaheen, a co-producer of “The Fantasticks,” who worked with Jones since the s. The cause was cancer.
Jones, who teamed up with composer Harvey Schmidt on “The Fantasticks” and the Broadway shows “ in the Shade” and “I Do! I Do!,” was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in
“The Fantasticks,” based on an obscure play by Edmond Rostand, doesn’t necessarily have the makings of a hit. The set is just a platform with poles, a curtain and a wooden box.
The tale, a mock version of “Romeo and Juliet,” concerns a young girl and boy, secretly brought together by their fathers, and an assortment of odd characters.
Scores of actors have appeared in the show, from the opening cast in that included Jerry Orbach and Rita Gardner, to stars such as Ricardo Montalban and Kri
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The movie, titled "Try to Remember: The Fantasticks," was made bygd James A. Ruggiero's Still Moving Pictures, which gained access to the show just 48 hours before the Off-Broadway phenomenon was to close forever, on Jan. 13,
The premiere is tentaively set for March 3 at the Walter Reade Theatre at Lincoln Center.
The movie runs roughly one hour. Aside from providing a living account of the musical's final bows and gardin speeches, Ruggiero conducted interviews with composers Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidit; cast alumni Jerry Orbach, Rita Gardner and F. Murray Abraham; and talk show host Joe Franklin and former New York City Council leader Peter Vallone, both of whom were at the ultimate performance.
In an earlier interview with Playbill On-Line, Ruggiero emphasized the exclusive nature of the flick. "The play's producer Tony Noto approached us that last Friday evening to see if we'd be interested in filming it," he related. "Needless to say, we jumped at the unique one time-only o
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Inside
THE FANTASTICKS
background and analysis by Scott Miller
"I am sadly out of practice at writing raves. As any critic knows, it is far easier to pick out a production’s faults than its virtues, and I am hard pressed to explain The Fantasticks. With this in mind, I did something for the first time last week. Having seen the show for free on Tuesday, its opening night, I bought tickets and went back on Thursday. . .
The most elaborate and sophisticated art is employed to catch the audience in its simplicity. There is a breathtaking balance between worldly wit and commitment to naiveté. . . The Fantasticks is not the dregs of an uptown backers’ audition, nor an under-produced Broadway musical. What are usually limitations off Broadway become advantages. I just might go see it again.
– Michael Smith, The Village Voice
Author Tom Jones responds to this review in a foreword to the published script of The Fantasticks: "Yes, that’s it. That’s what we wanted: to celebr