Musical comedy The Fantasticks has announced it will close on 26 June. The production, which is running at the Duchess theatre, had been booking to 5 September.
Starring Clive Rowe, David Burt and Hadley Fraser, The Fantasticks opened earlier this month to mixed reviews after beginning previews on 24 May.
Based on Edmond Rostand’s The Romancers, the musical tells the story of two families. The fathers are determined to make their children fall in love, so come up with the cunning plan of forbidding contact between their offspring in the knowledge that they will rebel against such parental advice. While the plan is successful, when the children discover the ruse they break up to experience the world beyond their neighbourhood, only then realising their true feelings.
The Fantasticks holds the record for the longest running musical in history, playing in New York for 42 years before it closed in 2002. With a score by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, the production includes songs such as Much More, I Can See It and Try To Remember. Using stripped back staging with limited props and sets, The Fantasticks requires the audience to use their imagination to bring the story to life.
No further productions have been announced for the Duchess theatre.
CM