‘Fantasticks’ is more than romantic farce

The Fantasticks” is a charming musical set during a time when walls were able to keep young lovers apart and parental matchmaking was an accepted form of courtship. Tom Jones (no, not that one) and Harvey Schmidt wrote “The Fantasticks” for a summer theater production at Barnard College. It opened Off-Broadway in 1960. The longest-running musical in the world, it closed in New York in January after 17,162 performances over the past 42 years.