The Fantasticks at The Matthews Opera House & Arts Center

Description

Matthews Musical is Nothing Short of “Fantastick”

SPEARFISH, SD

It’s a musical about a boy, a girl, and their two fathers who try to keep them apart. What could go wrong? The Matthews Opera House and Arts Center is proud to announce their upcoming production of The Fantasticks, written by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt. The Fantasticks opens in the Spearfish theater on Friday, April 14 and runs through April 23. 

A funny and romantic show, The Fantasticks asks the audience to use their imagination to see a world of magic and moonlight. The story follows a pair of young lovers as they experience the thrill of romance but then grow apart. Branded by heartache, they must find their way back to each other. 

“It’s my favorite musical of all time,” says director, Casey S. Hibbert. “It’s a timeless tale of romance, bandits, sword fights, abduction, and reunion.” 

Hibbert not only directs the production, but he also stars as the narrator and bandit El Gallo. “This will be my fourth time doing this show,” he explains, “but the first time directing it. It’s a classic piece of American theater. It is, well, fantastic!”  

The show features a strong cast of local performers including Alivia Ruff and Austin Huether as the young sweethearts. Ruff and Huether are enchanting, shaping their naive love story with incredible vocals and a spirit of innocence. For a stage that rarely ventures into musical theater, the Matthews seems to have struck a golden chord with the two singers. 

As the couple’s meddling fathers, J. Bruce Woodard and Mitchell Mechaley brighten the stage with their ridiculous plotting. Both experienced performers, Woodard and Mechaley skillfully play off each other, effortlessly creating a classic comic duo and enchanting viewers with their antics. Singing remorsefully of children who “did it cause we said no,” their ill-conceived plan to bring their progeny together by pulling them apart creates the first of many head-shakingly funny moments in the show. 

Says Mechaley, “This is an opportunity to develop a character that has so much depth yet is so shallow. Huck’s intentions are spawned from the love of his child and what is best for him, but the more Huck works towards his son’s happiness, the more he messes it up.”

“It’s been so much fun to be involved with this cast,” Mechaley adds. “Everybody works so hard and cares about the end result but we’re just having fun doing it. Every character is serious about their intentions, yet every actor’s goal is to present it with goofiness and, as a team, we manage to achieve both ends. To me, that’s unique.”

Vibrantly rounding out the cast are performers Matt Woodard and Clark Ott. Portraying a couple of time-worn performers, Woodard and Ott inject nonsense and not a little danger into an otherwise charming story. With a flair for physical comedy and vocal gymnastics, the pair moves the story along while irreverently poking fun at the craft of acting, itself. 

As “The Mute,” actress Rose Peay provides a theatrical sense of wonder to the performance while she aids El Gallo in his conniving. 

“I’m excited for how big of a challenge this will be for me,” she says. Peay, who helps tell the love story without uttering a single line, is an expecting mother and brilliantly uses her burgeoning belly to her comedic advantage. “The Mute is supposed to be very graceful and fluid,” she adds with a giggle. “We’ll see how graceful I can be.” 

Injecting song and dance seamlessly into believable scenarios is an admittedly daunting task and requires more than strong acting and vocal prowess. For a show of this nature to truly come alive, an entire team of musicians, choreographers, vocal directors and artists must be assembled. Veteran performer and musician, Connie Hubbard leads the charge as vocal director and lead accompanist. Hubbard is joined by Marilee Woodard on keyboard, Katrina Hutchison as choreographer, Caroline McVey as assistant director, and a slew of artists and volunteers who joined forces to create the show’s “enchanted forest” scenery.

The show is sure to be a favorite with local audiences. “Don’t miss this one,” encourages Mechaley. “Get your tickets.” 

Tickets for The Fantasticks are on sale now and can be purchased at matthewsopera.com, over the phone at (605) 642-7973, or at the Matthews Gallery at 612 N. Main. Street, Spearfish. The Fantasticks take the stage April 14 through April 23. Audiences can catch performances on Friday and Saturday evenings at 7 pm, April 14, 15, 21, and 22, with Sunday matinees at 2 pm on April 16 and 23. 
 

CUTLINE: The cast of “The Fantasticks,” the newest musical theater production opening at the Matthews Opera House, “takes five” from rehearsal. Pictured from left to right (front row) are Austin Heuther, Alivia Ruff, Clark Ott, J. Bruce Woodard, Matt Woodard and Mitchell Mechaley. Seated above are Casey S. Hibbert and Rose Peay. Tickets for “The Fantasticks” are on sale now at the Matthews.

==================================================

The Matthews Opera House & Arts Center is a 501c3 non-profit organization located at 612 N. Main Street in Spearfish, South Dakota.  To learn more about The Matthews either contact by phone, 605.642.7973 or their website at www.MatthewsOpera.com.