University of North Alabama - Diorama Yearbook

“-r- t^A. Cm The joy and pa in of blossoming love between 20-year-old Matt and 16-year-old Luisa is the focal point of the musical. The Fantasticks. The two are separated by their fathers because Matt ' s father wants him to get an education and Luisa ' s father cannot seem to bear the reality that his daughter is blossoming into a beautiful young lady. A fake wall is erected to separate the young lovers but that only makes their love for each other grow stronger. The plot thickens when Matt and Luisa find out that their fathers actually want them to fall in love because they realize that by forbidding their children to see each other, they will fall in love with each other, which was the plan all along. Once the children realize this, they fall out of love. But in the end. Matt and Luisa return to each other because they realize that their love is geni- une. A live orchestra behind the actors played all the music. The cast was made up of UNA students and alumni. " The rehearsal schedules have been really time-consuming but very fim and rewarding " said cast mem- ber Carrie Sumner, who plays the part of Luisa. Other cast members are Chris Klaus as El Gallo, the narrator; Eric Sizemore as Matt, the boy; Martin Dean as Hucklebee, his father; Randy Pettus as Bellomy, her father; Chris Bedwell as Henry, an old actor; J.C. Hester as Mortimer, the man who dies; and Marc Mitchell as the Mute. Musicians include pianist Chris Anderson and harpist Airnette Harmon Lee. The actors did an amazing job. The production was put together in just three and a half weeks aiid " The Fantasticks " proved an awesome choice for the actors and talented director Alan Flowers. The cast, orches- tra, and crew should be proud of such a ' fantastic job. ' The Fantasticks had been the longest running show in American musical theatre. It opened on May 3, 1960 at Sullivan Street Playhouse in New York, and ran for a total of 17,162 performances until it closed on January 13, 2002. As in all great love stories it is a romance engulfed in conflict, with the actors falling in love, out of love and back in love. — Laura Beth Mastroianni Take a group of talented college kids. Mix well with the direction of Dr. David K. Ruebhausen. Add a dash of the brilliant writings of George Bernard Shaw. Let simmer on a low heat and ... A brilliantly performed play that portrays the discreet power of women over men at home and in society. YOUNG LOV ' L - Liil bi/enioie and Carrie Sumner rehearse a scene for the musical The Fautiifticks. 12 ”