Community News May 1988 page 1
"Fiddler" a Smash Hit: SRO at all Performances
The Amalgamated Park Reservior Community Theater took the community by
storm with its production of Fiddler on the Roof. More than 1000
cooperators and their friends were transported, by six performances over
two weekends, to the mythical village of Anatevka, where Tevye the
milkman, Goldie, his wife, his daughters and assorted villagers were
brought to life by our wonderful group of community thespians.
All three of our community's Boards of Directors got behind the ambitious
undertaking with financial support. The enthusiasm spread to other JCAC
groups, notably the Visual Arts Committee which was involved in creating
the sets, and Playgroup mothers and fathers who undertook the difficult
jobs of serving refreshments during intermission. Community musicians
provided the admirable music without which the production could not have
been mounted.
Superlative performances were turned in by our lead actors. Steve Roberts
was a superb Tevye, capturing the essence of the ambiguity with which
Tevye, all the Tevyes, struggled with in mean shtetl villages in changing
and dangerous times. Lynn Polasky as Golde brought to her fine performance
the necessary mixture of shrewishness and gentleness which brings the role
of life.
Jenni Smith, Janice Krell, and Nancy Velez (whose lovely lyric soprano
still rings in the ear) were all delightfully charming, each in turn
rising to the dramatic heights their roles demanded.
As the three young suitors for the hands of Tevye's daughters, Bill
Ledwitz, Scott Koening and Scott Reyes skillfully etched the different
characters of each of the young men.
In the role of Lazar Wolfe, Dominick Cohen contributed a finely wrought
performance, while Peretz Kaminsky as the Rabbi, Bernard Kassoy as Avram,
George LaMarca as Mendel and Stephen Bowling as the innkeeper, added
luster to the performance. The warm applause at Yente the Matchmaker's
final exit speaks for itself about Mary Lukomnik's performance in the
role. Andrew Russakoff was alternately mencing and reflective as the
Constable while John Clarke and Hal Levin ably played his cohorts. Mr.
Clarke also contributed a small gem as the begger.
A highlight of the production was a wonderfully staged and performed dream
sequence. Singing the role of the grandmother, Honey Kassoy revealed a
hilarious comic sense while Debbie Eiseman was electrifying as Frume Sarah
from the other world.
David Rosenthal, as the fiddler, fiddled both on and off the stage. Sheila
Krstevski effectively used the limited area in staging the choreography.
Finally, one cannot say enough about the two people who bore the major
responsibility for the huge success of the show. Director Dan Kelly staged
the production with integrity and imagination. Music Director Lewis Levin
made the music and the singing, both solo and choral, a model of taste and
creative expression. Without the labors of these two, the show could never
have even have begun to exist.
There are numerous other people, too numerous for this article, who
contributed greatly to the production. See elsewhere in this issue for
their names.
See also: