Unlock your imagination as the beloved musical The Fantasticks kicks off Near West Theatre’s newest stage in the theatre’s first-ever production in its new black box theatre. The classic show will run for two weekends from June 17th through the 26th in the heart of the Gordon Square Arts District.

Audiences are sure to be delighted by the magic of The Fantasticks as they experience the world’s longest-running musical, featuring a boy, a girl, two parents, and a wall. In the show, neighbors Luisa & Matt are determinedly in love but kept apart by a wall built by their seemingly discontented parents. Little do they know, “to manipulate children, you merely say ‘no.’” This charming, yet sophisticated, tale of young lovers who become disheartened, only to discover a more mature love features classics like “Try To Remember” and “They Were You.” Journey into the nostalgic, yet universal themes of love as the narrator Gallo puts it best, “Without a hurt, the heart is hollow.”