For Immediate Release: January 11, 2006
Media Contact: David J. Abers, Bristol Riverside Theatre, 215.785.6664

Bristol Riverside Theatre will start the New Year with an old favorite. The Fantasticks, by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, which will run from January 24 to February 12, 2006 is America?s longest running musical and has delighted audiences worldwide for over four decades.

The Fantasticks is a timeless fable of young lovers who become disillusioned, only to discover a far more mature and meaningful love. At the heart of its breathtaking poetry and subtle theatrical sophistication is a purity and simplicity that transcends cultural barriers and manages to be nostalgic and universal at the same time. The songs Try to Remember, Soon It?s Gonna Rain, and Plant A Radish have become classics of the musical theatre.

Edward Keith Baker will both direct and musically direct this production. Mr. Baker, who is BRT?s Artistic Director, will team up with Bill Bateman as choreographer. Mr. Baker and Mr. Bateman last collaborated on BRT?s critically acclaimed production of Evita.

The cast includes Ryan Appleby, Kenneth Boys, Leanne Cabrera, Bill Gross, Daniel Scott Higbee, Arnold Kendall, Mark Manley, and Amanda Schoonover.

Ryan Appleby, who is playing the starry-eyed youth Matt, is making his BRT debut. Although this is the first time Ryan has appeared in The Fantasticks, he is no stranger to the work of Jones and Schmidt. Ryan appeared in the original casts of Mirette and Roadside. He was also the tenor soloist in the Southwest Theater League?s lifetime achievement concert honoring Jones and Schmidt. Leanne Cabrera who is playing Luisa, Matt?s love interest, is also a BRT newcomer. Leanne?s credits include: South Pacific, Les Miserables, Cinderella, and The King and I.

Mark Manley and Kenneth Boys play Matt and Luisa?s fathers, respectively. Mark Manley has appeared on Broadway in Whorehouse Goes Public, Legs Diamond, Fiddler on the Roof and Got Tu Go Disco in addition to numerous off-Broadway and regional productions. Kenneth Boys, a BRT favorite has an extensive list of credits that include Broadway (Raggedy Ann and Camelot), TV (The Young Riders), and Film (All That Jazz). In his numerous stage appearances, Kenneth has worked with the likes of Joe Papp, Douglas Campbell, John Pielmeier, Robert Guillame, Kathy Bates, Keir Dullea, Jay Thomas, Shelley Winters and Robert Goulet.

Another returning BRT favorite is Bill Gross who will play the dashing El Gallo, who offers to take Luisa to see the world. Bill played Larry Gatlin?s son Guy Earl in BRT?s critically acclaimed production of Texas Flyer. Bill?s recent New York credits include: Beowulf at the Irish Repertory Theatre and Children and Art at Broadway?s New Amsterdam Theatre.

Arnold Kendall, Daniel Scott Higbee, and Amanda Schoonover round out the cast. Arnold has bee seen as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at Hedgerow Theatre, Marc in Art at the Walnut Street Theatre, and Buried Child and Twelfth Night at The Arden Theatre Company. Daniel Scott Higbee has performed as the village idiot at the PA Renaissance Faire and as Fabian in Twelfth Night at the Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival. Amanda Schoonover is a Barrymore nominee for her portrayal of Flora in The Loyalist. She has worked with The People?s Light and Theatre Company, Brat Productions, and Azuka Theater.

The original production of The Fantasticks opened at the Sullivan Street Playhouse in New York on May 3, 1960 and closed on January 1, 2002 after 17,162 performances.

Special Event evenings and performances, as well as subscriber benefits, make now the best time to join the BRT family. Call the Box Office at 215-785-0100 for information on subscriptions, and single tickets or visit us on the web at www.BRTstage.org.

For information regarding Bristol Riverside Theatre, this press release, or to arrange for interviews call David J. Abers at 215-785-6664.

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