January 10, 2002	Thursday	Shawwal 25, 1422

NEW YORK, Jan 9: After 42 consecutive years and 17,162 performances, “The Fantasticks” is calling it quits, finally conceding the longest-run contest to Agatha Christie’s mystery, “The Mousetrap,” which opened in the UK eight years before the Off-Broadway musical.

“The Fantasticks”, which has been entertaining audiences and launching careers from the Sullivan Street Playhouse in Greenwich Village since its opening on May 3, 1960, will dim its lights for the last time on Jan 13.

“The new owners of the playhouse did their best to accommodate our production but dwindling grosses combined with escalating operating costs decided the issue for us,” said “Fantasticks” producer Lore Noto.

“Although there are many close to the production, including myself, who believed we had a chance to beat out ‘The Mousetrap,’ we now realize that topping that London phenomenon would be an unobtainable goal.”—AFP