Celebrating Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones; Lyric Stage Opens Season with Schmidt and Jones Hits The Fantasticks and 110 in the Shade

IRVING, TX. (Irving Convention & Visitors Bureau) - Who: Lyric Stage opens its 2005-2006 season at the Irving Arts Center with a month-long celebration of the works of Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones.

Lyric Stage is Dallas County's only locally produced professional musical theater company and North Texas' most honored theater. Dedicated to the development and preservation of the American musical, Lyric Stage has produced 14 world premiere musicals.

What: Schmidt and Jones: A Celebration is a tribute to the musicals of Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones. The musicals to be featured include The Fantasticks and 110 in the Shade, playing in repertory. Readings of Celebration and Philemon will also be presented.

The Fantasticks, the longest running show in Off-Broadway history, played 42 years at the Sullivan Street Playhouse. The musical gave the world "Try to Remember," "Metaphor," "Soon It's Gonna Rain," "I Can See It" and "They Were You." Among the thousands of actors who have performed in The Fantasticks are Richard Chamberlian, Elliott Gould, Liza Minnelli, Jerry Orbach and Glenn Close.

Produced by David Merrick, the original production of 110 in the Shade opened at Broadway's Broadhurst Theatre in 1963. Based on Richard Nash's The Rainmaker, 110 in the Shade was the duo's first production and played 330 performances. Choreographed by Agnes De Mille, the musical's cast included Stephen Douglass, Will Geer and Lesley Ann Warren.