Fantasticks Documentary to Open at Walter Reade Theatre

Try to Remember, a documentary film about The Fantasticks, the world’s longest-running musical, will open at the Walter Reade Theatre (165 West 65th Street, plaza level) in the Lincoln Center complex on Monday, May 17 for a limited run.

Released by Zeitgeist Films and produced by Eli Kabillio and Lorna Thomas of Swing Films, the documentary looks at the show’s history through the eyes of those who lived it, including authors Tom Jones (book and lyrics) and Harvey Schmidt (music); original cast member Jerry Orbach, now a star of TV’s Law & Order; gossip columnist Liz Smith, who attended college with Jones and Schmidt; weatherman Ira Joe Fisher, a one-time cast member; and Lore Noto, the show’s producer, who died in 2002.

The Fantasticks opened at the Sullivan Street Playhouse in New York City on May 3, 1960. In addition to Orbach as El Gallo, the cast included Rita Gardner as Luisa (“The Girl”) and Kenneth Nelson as Matt (“The Boy”). The original production closed on January 13, 2002, having logged 17,162 performances.