His best-known work is
The Fantasticks, which ran off-Broadway from 1960 until 2002, and the hit song from the same, "
Try to Remember". Other songs from
The Fantasticks include "
Soon It's Gonna Rain", "Much More", and "I Can See It". He also wrote the screenplay for the
1995 feature-film adaptation. Jones acted in a New York City revival of
The Fantasticks, which he also directed. He played the part of the Old Actor, from when the musical opened in 1960, and from April 26, 2010, to June 6, 2010. He was credited as an actor in the show as Thomas Bruce. Jones was also the author of
Making Musicals: An Informal Introduction to the World of Musical Theater, about which Elyse Sommer wrote on January 15, 1998 in
CurtainUp: Extremely well organized and packed with interesting information, the first half of the book deals in broad and general terms with the growth and development of the American musical. The second half focuses on the practical "how-to" of putting together a musical, using Jones's own career and shows he's worked on as a springboard ... Since only half the book falls within the category of how-to I'm glad to report that this advice is stick-to-the-ribs solid. No hyperbole. No gratuitous name dropping. ==Personal life and death==