Mark Shephard, Michael Sally, Ezra Hernandez, Ashley Jaye, Ted Bigornia, Natalie Hawkins, Anna Gilbert, Parker Soughers
The Fantasticks, the longest continuously running Broadway musical, teams up with Benicia Old Town’s oldest continuously running California theatre group for an enchanting coming-of-age revival. The show delights from its opening, heart-warming “Try to Remember” to its final nostalgic reprise.
The minimalistic yet imaginative set design allows for multiple scenes to unfold simultaneously. Lighting Designer Tom Kvech’s softly shifting twinkle lights evoke each mood with elegance. The clever lighting transform space and emotion alike. An imaginary wall divides two families and two lovers, a symbolic barrier each must ultimately break through.
Natalie Hawkins (Luisa), Ezra hernandez (Matt)
At first glance, The Fantasticks appears to be a whimsical fairy tale: two parents fake a feud to make their children fall in love. Then, a mysterious, magician-like narrator orchestrates events, and young hearts learn hard lessons. But beneath its simple plot blooms a profound psychological study of human growth—from innocence to experience, from fantasy to reality.
Director Adria Swam brings out the universal emotions that make this story timeless. Casting a mother and father instead of two fathers adds a fresh and resonant dimension to the family dynamic.
Young, handsome Matt (Ezra Hernandez) and sweet, spirited Luisa (Natalie Hawkins) sing of romance and destiny, while their parents, Hucklebee (Michael Sally) and Bellomy (Anna Gilbert), humorously uphold a façade of tension and rivalry. Their duet, “Never Say No,” showcases both their camaraderie and the irony of overprotective love. Though, the very deception meant to safeguard their children ultimately becomes the catalyst for their pain and growth.
Anna Gilbert (Bellomy), Michael Sally (Hucklebee)
As El Gallo, the suave narrator and manipulator, Ted Bigornia delivers a many-faceted performance, part poet, part therapist, always in control. His haunting rendition of “Try to Remember” evokes not only nostalgia for summers past, but also for the fleeting perfection of imagined love. Bigornia’s El Gallo feels like a shadow figure guiding the lovers toward truth and maturity. His orchestration of the “kidnapping” scene is both theatrical and psychologically revealing.
Front: Ted Bigornia (Narrator), Natalie Hawkins (Lusia), Ashley Jaye (The Mute), back: Parker Soughers, (The Man Who Dies) Ezra Hernandez (Matt) Mark Shephard (The Old Man)
Natalie Hawkins as Luisa is radiant, capturing the thrill of youthful ego and the ache of awakening. Her transformation from dreamer to woman grounds the production, and her powerful, versatile voice soars. Opposite her, Hernandez gives Matt both boyish vanity and tender empathy, making their reconciliation at the end feel earned rather than sentimental.
The comic duo of Hucklebee and Bellomy balances the play’s whimsy with its insight into parental folly. Meanwhile, The Old Actor, Henry (Mark Shephard), and The Man Who Dies, Mortimer (Parker Soughers), are hired to stage the faux kidnapping. They provide broad humor and clownish energy. Their antics—especially the exaggerated swordfight—add a vaudevillian flavor that underscores the play’s theatrical self-awareness.
Parker Soughers, (The Man Who Dies) Ezra Hernandez (Matt) Mark Shephard (The Old Man)
The Mute (Ashley Jaye) offers a quiet counterpoint. A silent observer and emotional mirror, she holds the wall that divides the families. She hands Luisa her mask of illusion, and moves with grace and subtlety throughout—her presence both grounding and poetic.
The ensemble’s harmonies and movement add verve throughout, with “Round and Round” standing out as a highlight.
Benicia’s Fantasticks reminds us why this deceptively simple musical endures. It’s not merely a tale of first love—it’s a reminder on the power of illusion, heartbreak, and renewal. Only by confronting pain, the play suggests, do we learn to love with depth—at any age.
Come see this wonderful revival.
The Fantastiks Book and Lyrics: by Tom Jones, Music by Harvey Schmidt, Directed by Adria Swan, Set Designers: Adria Swan, Clinton Vidal, Leslie Swan, Flavia Smith, Fight Choreographer, Erin Rose Solorio at Benicia Theatre Group, Benicia, CA., info: beneciatheatregroup.org Oct 17-Nov. 9, 2025
Cast: Ted Bigornia, Ashley Jaye, Natalie Hawkins, Ezra Hernandez, Michael Sally, Anna Gilbert, Mark Shephard, Parker Soughers
ALL PHOTOS: Michael Van Auken