Introducing You to the Black Box Theatre Through The Fantasticks 

I had the honor of seeing Arcadia Theatre’s production of The Fantasticks by Tom Jones, and let me tell you, they went all out. The Fantasticks is the world’s longest-running musical, with its original Off-Broadway production running from 1960 through 2002. The musical tells the story of two young lovers, Luisa and Matt, whose parents trick them into falling in love by pretending to feud and building a wall between their houses. The show is based on this ethereal feeling, with magic being a component in the show, wielded primarily by El Gallo. The musical is very poetic in how it’s written and does a remarkable job of bringing the audience in. 

This musical holds another record, this time for Arcadia’s Theatrical program; it is the first mainstage production to be put on in The Black Box Theatre, previously known as the Steele Building, over in the Theatre Corner on the corner of W Waverly Road and Church Road. Seats were added to the building, creating a thrust stage (a stage surrounded on 3 sides by audience, as opposed to in the round, which has seating on all sides), along with a lighting grid, a proper sound system, and the set itself. The set consisted of a large, miraculous tree that bent over the space, a creatively used platform and chairs, and lights strung throughout the space. Another incredible detail is the use of the piano and harp in the show. The whole score was done by two instruments and their incredible musicians. The musicians were onstage the whole show, and even had moments of interaction with the actors, which added to the magic of the whole piece. 

Arcadia’s first mainstage production in the Black Box Theatre was a huge success, and I strongly recommend investigating the remaining shows of the season; their talent is truly unmatched.