Just as in a 1950s MGM epic, the Vienna Youth Players’ production of “Fiddler on the Roof” has a cast of thousands. Okay, maybe, not thousands, but, certainly a lot … about 30 youngsters as young as 11 and as mature as the troupe’s upper-limit of 18. The musical is an extravaganza of haunting song and spirited dance, focusing on preservation and loss of “traditions” and changing times, and is a departure from the more contemporary pieces the Vienna Youth Players has done.
“We’ve wanted to do this play for a long time,” said VYP director Babs Dyer, in her 23rd year with the production company. “We wanted to reacquaint this generation with a classic of family-centered musical theatre.”
“Fiddler on the Roof,” which premiered on Broadway in 1964, comes alive at the Vienna Community Center on Aug. 7, 8, 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday, Aug. 16, at 1 p.m. The Tony award-winning musical is entering its fifth revival on Broadway this year.
Tevye, a poor Jewish milkman raising his family in Imperial Russia in the village of Anatevka, struggles to keep his Jewish traditions in place as his daughters find their own places in a darkening Russia and beyond. As Tevye’s three oldest daughters fall in love, Tevye is confronted with challenges to his authority and to the traditions of his culture. The fiddler on the roof struggles to maintain balance, a metaphor for the Jewish upheaval that looms ahead.
Where and When
“Fiddler on the Roof” plays at the Vienna Community Center on Aug. 7, 8, 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m., and on Sunday Aug. 16 at 1 p.m.
Tickets, priced at $14 each, are on sale at the Vienna Community Center. Call 703-255-6360.
MOST CAST AND CREW members live in the Vienna-Oakton area.
Heather Colbert plays the feisty oldest daugher who defies her father by marrying a Russian, and, as a consequence, is disowned by her father. Of her character, Chava, Heather said, “she’s strong-minded, but, I love my family and I couldn’t leave them.” Heather, in her seventh production with VYP, said the group is like a family.
Drew Goldstein, in his second year with VYP, said the theatre company is a “great thing to do in the summer, to get your feet wet outside high school theatre.” What Drew likes the most about his character, Fyedka, is that he is different from other characters Drew has played in school productions. ”He’s a bit stronger than my other characters,” said Drew.
Neal Going had a starring role in VYP’s “Aida” a couple of seasons back. He plays Motel, the tailor who marries Tevye’s daughter Tzeital. “I love Motel,” said Neal. “He’s a classic coming-of-age character.
“I think this is a great production, a great cast. Everyone is so committed to making this show the best it can be.”
Not all the characters find love. Some, like wealthy butcher Lazar Wolf, played by Chris Becker, are thwarted in their match-made courtships. “He’s a guy who has been lonely for a long time,” said Becker. “He’s a fun character to play. He’s motivated by finding love.”
Mol Walker, who plays Tevye’s wife Golde, has a “strong sense of duty,” Walker said. “I admire her dedication to her family. I was raised Jewish so I can relate to this play. For me, it has a story to tell.”
THE SET AND COSTUMING are period, early 20th century Russia, and the costumes come from “every thrift shop known to man,” Dyer said. The rabbi has a real beard. The fiddler pretends to fiddle as a violinist in the pit plays on his behalf. Fiddler’s ensemble choreography is fast-paced and energetic, full of the cultural characteristics American audiences expect. From story to play to film and on to the amateur stage, “Fiddler on the Roof” is a peek into the background of a people whose history has been one of movement and adaptation to new environments.
“It’s an age-old story we go through even today, how we hold on to traditions that we have to adapt to a changing world,” Dyer said. “In Tevye’s world, everything had a plan.”