Second Stage Theater has announced the full design and music teams for its Broadway premiere of “The Fantasticks.” Two-time Emmy Award winner Jason Sherwood will serve as scenic designer, two-time Tony Award winner Linda Cho as costume designer, Tony winner Jen Schriever as lighting designer and two-time Tony winner Nevin Steinberg as sound designer. Music supervision and orchestration will be by Samuel Davis, with music direction by Rick Hip-Flores.
The production, directed and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli, is set to begin previews on Oct. 22 ahead of an official opening night on Nov. 16 at the Hayes Theater. The limited engagement is set to run through Feb. 7, 2027. The original “Fantasticks” tells the story of a pair of neighboring fathers who trick their daughter and son, respectively, into falling in love. The musical comedy features music by Harvey Schmidt with lyrics and book by Tom Jones. This 2026 production reimagines its romantic leads as a gay couple and their parents as feuding mothers; the revised libretto is by Jones.
Sherwood will make his Broadway debut as a lead designer, having previously served as associate scenic designer for the 2015 play “Living on Love.” The scenic designer has won two Emmys for production design — first for the 2019 live television musical event “Rent: Live” and later for the 2020 Academy Awards. Cho is a two-time Tony winner for designing the costumes of 2014’s “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” and 2024’s “The Great Gatsby.” This past season, she designed the costumes for “Ragtime” and “Schmigadoon!,” the latter also helmed and choreographed by Gattelli. Cho earned two more Tony nominations for her “Ragtime” and “Schmigadoon!” designs.
Schriever is the Tony-winning lighting designer for Broadway’s “The Lost Boys.” On Broadway, she previously collaborated with Gattelli on “Mother Play,” for which he provided choreography for select dance sequences. Schriever and Cho previously worked together on Main Stem productions like “Grand Horizons” and “Art.” Steinberg, the Tony-winning sound designer of “Hadestown” and the 2023 revival of “Sweeney Todd,” previously teamed up with Gattelli on “The Cher Show,” which Gattelli choreographed.
In terms of the music team, Davis has contributed musical arrangements and orchestrations to Broadway productions such as “Smash,” “Death Becomes Her” (also directed and choreographed by Gattelli) and the 2021 revival of “Company.” Hip-Flores has served on the music teams of numerous Broadway productions, including“In Transit,” “Ain’t Too Proud,” “MJ” and “Bad Cinderella.”
Second Stage’s upcoming production is being produced in association with Broadway and Beyond Theatricals, Daryl Roth and True North Theatricals.
