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Aaron Carter Stays on with Off-Broadway’s ‘The Fantasticks’ till April 22

Pop star Aaron Carter will extend his current starring role in “The Fantasticks” until April 22, reports BroadwayWorld.com. The triple-platinum selling pop star began his run with the play on November 7 of last year, and originally was scheduled to play the role of Matt through January 22, but decided to extend his stint for three more months. In a statement, he expressed his excitement about the extension.

“Eight times every week I get to perform with an amazingly talented cast in the greatest musical ever written!” said the 24-year-old. “I’m thrilled to extend my run in this classic show.”

“The Fantasticks” was written by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones, and is loosely based on the play “The Romancers,” which was written by Edmon Rostand. The musical also takes elements from Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” among other works.

The original Off-Broadway version of the show premiered May 3, 1960 and was the longest running musical in the world when it closed on January 13, 2002. During that time period, there were 17,162 performances. It also holds the record as the longest-running uninterrupted show of any kind in America. Throughout that time, many well-known actors have played parts in the musical, including Liza Minnelli, Glenn Close, Elliot Gould and F. Murray Abraham, among many others.

The current performance is an Off-Broadway revival that plays at the Jerry Orbach Theater in the Snapple Theater Center. It premiered August 23, 2006 and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2010. The show is noted as being one of the most performed musicals in the world, and the New York Times reports that it has been performed over 11,000 times.

Carter became known around the world for his 2000 album Aaron’s Party (Come Get It), as well as for the single of the same name. He had an additional hit with his cover of “I Want Candy.”