The Southwestern College theatre department will present the musical “The Fantasticks,” Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 17-19, at 7:30 p.m., in Messenger Auditorium in the Darbeth Fine Arts Building. Admission is $15 for adults, $10 for students and senior citizens, and free for Southwestern College students and employees. Tickets will be sold at the door.

According to director Terry McGonigle, “The Fantasticks” is a parable; a tongue and cheek look at parenting with children who think they are adults, but aren’t just yet.

“Audience members should expect an evening of fun, laughs, and maybe even a touch of nostalgia,” McGonigle says.   “It’s a fun show with great characters that people will be able to identify with.  The old actor who still wants to be active, parents who think they are smarter than children, and children who think they are smarter than the parents.”

The cast includes: Anika Fairbanks as The Mute; Abbey Denly as Bellomy; Jordan Burford as Hucklebee; MaKaylin Kuchar as Luisa Bellomy; John Moberly as Matt Hucklebee; Simon Hill as El Gallo; Jacob Giger as Henry Albertson; and Pio Hernandez as Mortimer.

“The Fantasticks” ran for 42 years in NYC and closed in 2002.  In 1967 SC performed the show and was one of the first college productions done after it was released for public performances in the mid-1960s.  

McGonigle says that some of that original cast will be in attendance for the Thursday night performance including Ron and Judy Haines, who played the boy and the girl in the show, and eventually married.  Also coming is Roxy Callison and Nelson Warren.  On Friday, Campus Players alumni Marcie Brown ’71 and her husband are coming as well as Donna Bean ’71.

 “The fact that they are supporting us, keeping the program alive is great (Brown is underwriting the production),” McGonigle says.  “I cannot express enough gratitude to those folks, helping with donations, doing what they can.  It is nice to know that the alumni are still very positive about the college and the program.”  

McGonigle also adds that Messenger Auditorium has been upgraded.

“Messenger has been spruced up, seats repaired, ceiling painted, new lighting system, and the sound system has been beefed up,” McGonigle says.  “Our cast of eight is working so hard, wanting to make this a successful production. The set is finished, costumes are ready to go.  The first production of this show was in the Little Theatre with platforms that were built for that show.  Those original platforms will also be used in this show, so they have come full circle.”