Fiddler in the balcony
A friend of mine and I went to NDSU's production of Fiddler on the Roof tonight. We sat in the balcony. Possibly a thousand people were there. I believe the show was sold out, although there were at least four empty seats around me.
I have a little history with Fiddler. Back in the 4-H days I was in an abbreviated version and then in high school sang the medley of Fiddler tunes at least twice. I saw it performed at a community theater, watched the film twice, and have a roommate that was actually in it (she's half Jewish too but that's besides the point).
So here's my reaction. Steve Stark is no Zero Mostel or Topol but he does an excellent job at being Teyve- finding the character and fully becoming that person. I noticed a lot of actors were not into their roles. I could tell by a certain level of zest they brought to their lines and non-verbals.
Pacing/timing were off- the show was not tight. Although enjoyable it showed only reticent support of Stark's strong acting.
Type casting? Perchik is a rebellious young man fighting for an altruistic cause who becomes enamored with one of Tevye's daughters. The guy who played this role - Bjorn Fjorne - also played a similar role (Marius) at Trollwood last summer in .Les Miserables.
The other story of the night featured a women who was sitting a few seats away from me. She left the theatre just before the Dream Sequence and then returned near the Wedding scene. So when she returns she sits in the empty seat next to me. I smell a strong scent of alcohol and cigarettes. Hmm. Did she just step out to drink a few shots and smoke. Was the play that bad? (Really it wasn't by all observations.) She didn't exactly look sober. My friend next to me could smell it too. It must have been strong.
I have a little history with Fiddler. Back in the 4-H days I was in an abbreviated version and then in high school sang the medley of Fiddler tunes at least twice. I saw it performed at a community theater, watched the film twice, and have a roommate that was actually in it (she's half Jewish too but that's besides the point).
So here's my reaction. Steve Stark is no Zero Mostel or Topol but he does an excellent job at being Teyve- finding the character and fully becoming that person. I noticed a lot of actors were not into their roles. I could tell by a certain level of zest they brought to their lines and non-verbals.
Pacing/timing were off- the show was not tight. Although enjoyable it showed only reticent support of Stark's strong acting.
Type casting? Perchik is a rebellious young man fighting for an altruistic cause who becomes enamored with one of Tevye's daughters. The guy who played this role - Bjorn Fjorne - also played a similar role (Marius) at Trollwood last summer in .Les Miserables.
The other story of the night featured a women who was sitting a few seats away from me. She left the theatre just before the Dream Sequence and then returned near the Wedding scene. So when she returns she sits in the empty seat next to me. I smell a strong scent of alcohol and cigarettes. Hmm. Did she just step out to drink a few shots and smoke. Was the play that bad? (Really it wasn't by all observations.) She didn't exactly look sober. My friend next to me could smell it too. It must have been strong.
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