Ranney School Celebrates Its Golden Anniversary with a Presentation of “The Fantasticks”

In 1960, Ranney School opened its doors to students and the Sullivan Street Theater in NYC opened its doors to The Fantasticks. To celebrate Ranney School’s 50th Anniversary and 50 years of the world's longest running musical, Ranney’s International Thespian Troupe #630 is proud to present The Fantasticks, premiering in school’s Commons Black Box Theater on March 4, 5, and 6 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $10.00 and will be available at the door.

The Fantasticks, with book and lyrics by Tom Jones and music by Harvey Schmidt, tells the story of Luisa and Matt, a youthful couple longing for love and adventure. Their fathers, Hucklebee and Bellomy, plot to encourage their budding romance, so they hire sophisticated El Gallo to create a romantic situation. By moonlight, Matt and Luisa fall in love. However, can true love blossom in the realities of a painful world? Is it possible to remember innocence, joy, and magic throughout our lives? The show's musical numbers "Try to Remember," "Soon It's Gonna Rain," and "Never Say No" have become a part of the fabric of our American culture.

The show's original off-Broadway production ran for 42 years and 17,162 performances, making it the world's longest running musical. Many young actors who started in the off-Broadway show went on to major performing careers. Ranney's creative team is staying true to the original treatment of the work to evoke its timelessness.

According to Musical Director Tess Nielsen, Ranney School Performing Arts Chair, the educational goal for the Ranney Thespians is that they, too, will learn and expand their skills by working on this production. The production is directed by John Doyle, Ranney’s Middle and Upper School drama teacher and student assistant director, Evelyn Giovine. Serving as the production’s technical advisor and orchestra conductor is Kevin Cotter, a member of Ranney’s music faculty.

The Ranney cast and crew include:

El Gallo- Ben Puvolowski,

Matt- Peter Giovine

Luisa – Hannah Simpson

Hucklebee- Ross Bernstein

Bellomy- Ben Mooney

Henry "The Old Actor" –Sarah Bartosh

Mortimer – Linda Dayan

The Mute- Lauren Waters

Lighting Technician: Melissa Kowalski

Sound Technicians: Eric Chiang, Jeremy Lessing

Set Crew: Anike Oladeji, Adam Nickel

Props Manager: Jood Ani

Costume Mistress: Lauren Resnikoff

Box Office Manager: Megan Sherow

Usher: Alex Seneca

For additional information on all Ranney School news, please contact the Communications Department at communications@ranneyschool.org.