Ashley Park, Hal Linden, and More Set for The Fantasticks

The Fantasticks begins performances tonight at Pasadena Playhouse.

The musical, from writers Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, is a lyrical and romantic show that tells an allegorical love story about a boy, a girl, two fathers, and a wall. Ashley Park (Broadway's The King and I) plays Luisa. She is joined by Philip Anthony-Rodriguez (Broadway's Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story) as El Gallo, Regi Davis (Nickelodeon's Game Shakers) as Bellomy, Conor Guzmán (The Little Mermaid) as Matt, Amir Talai (What to Expect When You're Expecting) as Mortimer, Gedde Watanabe (Broadway's Pacific Overtures) as Hucklebee, Alyse Rockett as the Mute, and Tony winner Hal Linden (The Rothschilds) as Henry. Seema Sueko directs.

Lyricist and book writer Tom Jones says, "I have been a fan of the Pasadena Playhouse for a long time. I have been a fan of Seema Sueko for a much shorter time, as we met online just a few months ago when she wrote me describing her ideas for a new way to approach The Fantasticks. I was so impressed by what she wrote that…I began, after nearly sixty years, to rewrite a few sections of The Fantasticks."

The creative team includes music director David O., choreographer Kitty McNamee, scenic designer David F. Weiner, costume designer Shirley Pierson, lighting designer Josh Epstein, sound designer Joe Huppert, and fight choreography by Tim Weske.

The Fantasticks opened off-Broadway in 1960 and closed 42 years later after 17,162 performances. It was revived in New York in 2006 and has been running ever since. The Fantasticks holds the record as the world's longest-running musical.

Performances at the Pasadena Playhouse will run through October 2.

For more information and tickets, click here.