DR Elmore: Thank you for offering to help satisfy my curiosity about Sullivan Street Playhouse.
I flog myself daily for not having seen The Fantasticks there. I saw it at the Jerry Orbach. Did you go there, too?
I've read in the descriptions of Sullivan that people seated in audience right had to literally walk across the stage to get there. Was the piano/harp setup on the audience left side?
Apparently the original piano was built into the stage set and even jumped or sat on at some point (?). The one at the Orbach was not. It was draped somewhat, and looked like a small upright, taller than a spinet. It was on audience right, not behind the set but at the back wall, though hopefully the pianist wasn't cramped like Julian Stein describes it in the Farber book. The harpist was to his left, practically in the aisle at audience right, but there was breathing room. When they did the fake exit (“the orchestra can go home”), both players started up that aisle. (Was that gag done at Sullivan? There's no reference to it in the script. If not, I wonder when it got added.)
None of this is related to the one I’ll be playing, which will be small but not on that kind of stage. I’m just really curious to envision the original, and I envy your experience in seeing it repeatedly. Anything you wish to relate about it, I'm all ears.