The Iola High School spring stage and musical production — “The Fanstasticks” — also serves as an apt description of the fantastically talented group of young performers who will grace the Bowlus Fine Arts Center stage tonight and Friday.
The musical is billed simply as a story about a boy, a girl, his father, her mother — and a wall.
The parents are secretly hopeful their children will eventually fall in love and wed.
They do so with a bit of reverse psychology, by building a wall and forbidding the youngsters from communicating.
At first blush, the plan seems to work perfectly. Young Luisa, portrayed by Reagan Webster, and Matt, played by Skylar Strickler, spend hours at the wall expressing their desires to be together, against the wishes (or so they think) of their parents.
Enter Kent Toland, the play’s narrator who assumes the role of El Gallo, a would-be kidnapper hired by the parents to stage an abduction so that Matt can truly exhibit his affections for his young paramour.
Can such a ruse work? Will the young pair eventually learn of their parents’ gambit? Would it matter?
Audiences can find out this evening and Friday at 7 o’clock.
THE play’s spartan scenery creates the pitch-perfect setting for the IHS acting troupe.
Each of the eight performers, with one notable exception, takes turns through song, dance or other dialogue in explaining what should be “happily ever after” may not necessarily be so.
Webster and Strickler are nothing short of scintillating as the pair of young lovers. Their rich voices fill the Bowlus auditorium with melodies that explain their dreams, and eventually, their experiences.
Toland, likewise, exhibits a healthy dose of charisma as the narrator and then as El Gallo.
All three are veterans of past IHS and Iola Community Theatre productions, and all three once again deliver memorable performances worthy of praise.
“The Fantasticks” also features a healthy dose of humor, as exhibited by Jonathan Michaels and Madison Ford as the two parents.
One memorable scene features Michaels and Ford haggling with Toland on just how much of a spectacle they should make of Luisa’s staged abduction, which in turn hinges on just how much they are willing to pay. The bigger the “ransom,” Toland explains, the more grand the event can be. Perhaps an orchestra accompaniment?
That scene begets the introduction of the uproarious Cody Cokely and Drew Smith as a pair of past-their-prime Shakespearean actors — the Bard’s influences are many in this production — who hope to assist El Gallo with the abduction. But first, they must audition. Smith’s portrayal of a wounded and dying warrior is certain to elicit guffaws from the crowd.
Last but not least is the character who speaks nary a line. Jasmine Bannister’s presence on the stage is varied and utilitarian. She first dispenses the costumes as the main characters race onto the stage, then later serves as the aforementioned wall.
In between, she adeptly maneuvers platforms and objects in order for the story to meld seamlessly from one scene to another, and occasionally provides falling snowfall and other props for the speaking characters.
RICHARD Spencer is the play’s director and Greta Adams is musical director.
Under their tutelage, the students masterfully weave dialogue and song, frequently with tightly choreographed numbers that make it easy for the audience to forget it’s watching a group of high-schoolers and not Broadway veterans.
Jordan Strickler handles the behind-the-scenes chores as stage manager. He, too, deserves a round of applause.
Tickets for “The Fantasticks” sell at the door for $5 for adults. Students and young children will be admitted free of charge.
