Look out, here comes The Fantasticks.

Earlier this year, the eight-character romantic musical closed in New York after an incredible, history-making, 42-year run at Off-Broadways Sullivan Theatre.

Decades before the closing sign went up on The Fantasticks, Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidts charming little love story had become one of the most produced musicals in the world. With its absence from the New York scene, look for this Valentine to young love to be staged even more frequently in the next few years. And not just because its relatively inexpensive to mount.

The Fantasticks will be popular as long as young people and adults are intrigued by the contrast of highly romantic true love and the day-to-day realities of loving someone through sickness and health and through meddling in-laws.

If The Fantasticks has a gimmick, its two neighboring dads who plot to make sure their children fall in love with each other. How do they do that? Thats easy. Mr. Hucklebee (affable John Janezic) just forbids his son Matt (Jeff Driskill) from seeing the girl next door. Conversely, Mr. Bellomy (slightly starchy Jerry Loveland) tells his slightly ditzy daughter Luisa to pay no mind to the Hucklebee boy.

What more does it take to make sure a lad and a lass fall in love than for their fathers to forbid them from seeing each other? Thus you have the simple plot of Scottsdale Community Players season opener.

Wheres the catch? The conflict? When the young couple find out theyve been set up, they descend into an entire act of heartbreak, which surprise, surprise is mended in time for a happily-ever-after ending.

Typically, the youthful actors playing Matt and Luisa drive The Fantasticks with their starry-eyed notions of romance. Not here. Not that Driskill and Hengl dont have the requisite sweet vocals. Do they as heard on Much More and especially Soon Its Gonna Rain. But these sincere teens are just shy of the acting chops needed to sell their characters in their non-singing scenes. They just dont own their dramatic moments as they should. Neither does Leslie Haddad as The Mute, an on-stage stage manager whos a little too muted.

As El Gallo, Tim Justin takes up the leads slack. With his stage-filling swarthy demeanor and robust baritone-tenor, Justin is near flawless as a narrator-swashbuckler hired by the dads to stage a fake abduction. Why? The conniving dads want to give Matt a chance to prove himself a hero to Luisa, thus forever ensuring her undying affection and admiration.

Justins bandit-for-hire stages an elaborate abduction, but not without the help of a Shakespearean actor on his last legs and his sidekick, whose stage specialty is painfully long dying scenes. Thats Bret Anderson and Hal Semmens as characters given full license to steal their every hammy scene, which they do.

Beyond its telling love story, part of The Fantasticks enduring appeal is due to Jones and Schmidts engaging tunes and clever lyrics. They merge best on Plant a Radish, in which Janezic and Lovelands express the paternal satisfaction in gardening as opposed to parenting. They acutely observe that when you plant a radish, you get a radish. But when you have a child, well, God only knows what the kid will turn to be.

In the wake of Sept. 11, Try to Remember, The Fantasticks signature song, takes on a whole new meaning. The lyrics invite the listener to remember a September when life was more innocent. Sadly, the terrorist attacks on America add a new depth Jones words. Underscored by Jonathan Ives tender musical direction, Justin lets Try To Remembers enlarged meaning speak for itself, helping playgoers to immediately understand that The Fantasticks is more than just a love story. Its about the Grand Canyon-sized gap between what we hope life will be, and what it turns out to be.

The Fantasticks
Who: Scottsdale Community Players
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. through Sept. 22.
Where: Stagebrush Theatre, 7020 E. Second St., Scottsdale
Cost: $18-$20
Info:
Grade: B