By Tom Nissley
I was invited to attend a sneak peek of a rehearsal of the new “Fiddler on the Roof,” opening at ACT of CT on February 8. It will play on weekends for an entire month, with 26 actors that Director Daniel C Levine will have on stage throughout the show. When they’re not in a scene, they will be watching the scene, surrounding the action on stage, and reflecting the audience members in front of the stage. The Royal Danish Ballet used a similar technique when they traveled to the USA in the 1950s, and it’s beautifully effective.
Musical direction will be by Bryan Perri, always the musical supervisor at ACT productions but for “Fiddler” the actual Director of the music in the show. Perri can be demanding, and at the sneak peek was working the cast to sing harder and more fully in “Tradition,” with the poppas and the mommas and the daughters and the sons each claiming their roles in life in Anatevka. To watch Levine and Perri work together is in itself a rich experience. Of course they are a couple in real life, but on stage they are a powerhouse, pretty much guaranteeing that their “Fiddler on the Roof” will be the excellent production we are lining up to see.
You can order your tickets for “Fiddler” by calling 475.215.5497; or by going on line to actofct.org.
Tom Nissley for the Ridgelea Reports on Theatre
Fiddler on the Roof is a timeless musical masterpiece. The musical takes place in the small Jewish village of Anatevka in Imperial Russia at the turn of the 20th century, and follows Tevye, a humble milkman, and his family, as they grapple with faith and changing societal norms.
Performance Dates and Times: Thursdays 7pm, Fridays 8pm, Saturdays 2pm* & 8pm, Sundays at 2pm. *Please note there will be no matinee performance Saturday, February 8.
