"Without a hurt, the heart is hollow" — that's part of the bittersweet refrain of "Try to Remember," one of the best-known songs from "The Fantasticks." And it's delivered sweetly by charismatic singing actor Gary Briggle in Nautilus Music-Theater's cute, charming production that opened last weekend.
The storied musical by bookwriter/lyricist Tom Jones and composer Harvey Schmidt has run off-Broadway for more than 50 years, becoming its own must-see tourist attraction.
The comic drama plot revolves around smitten young lovers Matt and Luisa, and their respective fathers, Huckleebee and Bellomy.
Matt and Luisa are madly in love, or so they think. Their fathers, neighbors who have built a wall between their properties, have helped orchestrate their attraction by keeping them apart — leveraging the youngsters' natural inclination to rebel. The fathers even arrange a fake abduction by a character named El Gallo and his assistant, the Actor Who Dies, giving Matt a chance to play the hero and save Luisa.
Through these experiences the kids come to know loss, and understand the depth of their love.
Nautilus, an outgrowth of the Minnesota Opera best known for its work developing artists, operas and new musical theater, has chosen to stage this show with a nontraditional cast. The young lovers are played by two AARP-aged actors: Briggle and Wendy Lehr, who happen to be spouses in real life.
The couple sell it well in their singing and acting. They invest their lyrics with deep emotion (Briggle is the stronger singer) and take us into the infatuation of youngsters who look longingly into each other's eyes against the backdrop of a spectral moon.
Director Ben Krywosz's re-imagined production also casts surefire sisters Christina Baldwin and Jennifer Baldwin Peden as the fathers. They sing gorgeously, with acting that matches their confidence.
