Friday, January 09, 2026
The Fantasticks, Reimagined as Gay Love Story, Is Aiming for Broadway
Playbill: A reimagined version of Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt's record-breaking Off-Broadway musical The Fantasticks is currently in development for Broadway under the direction and choreography of Tony winner Christopher Gattelli (Death Becomes Her, Newsies).
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4 comments:
I saw Gay Love Story and knew I had to read further. I want to start this comment out with an excitement for all of the shows that are becoming popular that include queer love without the shadow of homophobia so often seen in this genre. However, I do have some issues based solely on this article. I do hope to see this on Broadway, and maybe seeing some of my issues in context would explain them a bit more. I think my main issue is the two dads being turned into two mothers. My general view of this is that it seems the story is being treated with a sort of acceptance from the parents that is very empowering in this queer love story, and that relates to the societal view of women as more emotional than men. I think seeing two dads, especially two straight dads, fighting for their sons to fall in love would challenge a lot of the masculinity that is thought of in the stereotypical dad. While I appreciate the majority of the changes to the show would relate to the sons, keeping the dads would be a chance to challenge those masculine stereotypes that might be inherent.
This show looks super cool, and I would love to learn more about the show. I cannot say that I am familiar with the original version of The Fantasticks, let alone this new gay version, but I believe that we need more queer love stories represented, especially on stage. The concept of two parents scheming to get their children together is very fascinating to me, and the fact that they go about doing it through a fake feud is hilarious. It takes a commonly used trope of star-crossed lovers, the Romeo and Juliet families who hate eahother type story, and adds a spin on that with the use of the parents. I think that turning an existing story into one that specifically focuses on queer love adds layers to the characters and the dynamics of the show, which can deeply change the way it’s viewed. It’s also a really good way to get audiences interested in a show. Sometimes people tend to think that adding gay couples to pieces of media will make them less appealing to “general audiences,” however, when you look at what some of the most popular pieces of media from the last few years, you find that centering queer voices does actually have commercial benefits.
I absolutely love when older, classic love stories are reimagined with gay characters. Not only does it always make me want to engage with the story more, but I think it also often adds another dimension to the story that is really needed when you’re trying to get through old stuff that can feel esoteric, foreign, and boring. I think bringing old stories into modern contexts and making them relevant and relatable to current audiences is a big part of what keeps stories alive. I also appreciate how they’re putting effort into adapting the story beyond just changing Luisa to Lewis, and they’re actually reinventing the story in some way which I think a lot of modern adaptations and “reimaginings” don’t do. I’ll be interested to see whether their retelling feels forced or authentic. However, who am I kidding, I am a sucker for a good ol gay love story so I’m sure I’d love it no matter what if I got to see it.
It’s great to see old theatre reimagined to align with the modern day! Gender swapping roles, especially in this context, where the characters develop a romantic relationship, gives new meaning to the story. I found it interesting that Gattelli chose to also rewrite the fathers, who “orchestrate” the love between their children, as mothers. Rewriting The Fantasticks to star a gay couple is positive representation in the media. Its message is reinforced by the fact that the parents in the play support and actively work to create this love story. But the change from fathers to mothers isn’t really explained.
I’m glad to hear that multiple theatres took on the revised The Fantasticks and it was largely positively received. Online, someone also mentioned that they were glad the revised The Fantasticks had gay main characters, as they felt that there is a “surprisingly” low amount of explicitly gay lead roles on Broadway shows.
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