By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
Contributed photo
REHEARSING FOR TOMORROW’S opening night performance of “Fiddler on the Roof” are Presque Isle High School Shipmates, from left: Richie Byrnes (Motel), Hannah Nelson (Bielke), Kori Kinney (Shprintze), Zach Fowler (Tevye), Paige Nichols (Golde), Anne Elish (Tzeitel), Madelyn Carson (Hodel), Caroline Thibodeau (Chava), and Matt Flora (Perchik). Performances are at 7 p.m. Nov. 8-10 and Nov. 15-17 at the PIHS Auditorium, with a 2 p.m. matinee Saturday, Nov. 17. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students and seniors, and are available at the high school, Goin’ Postal ® and The Silver Basket in Presque Isle, and the Maine Dance Academy in Caribou.
“We try to vary the plays we do each year,” she said. “Since I’ve been involved, we’ve done a fairy tale and a Western, so we were actually looking for something a bit contemporary, and ironically, we ended up in turn-of-the-century Russia.
“When we’re choosing a play, we have basic criteria: It has to have great music, solid characters, a variety of roles offering singing and non-singing parts, and it has to be something that we think the kids will enjoy … after all, we’ll all be working with it for about three months,” said Glidden. “It also has to be something that can showcase the talent we have, and we feel ‘Fiddler’ fits that bill. This play is touching and inspiring, yet carries a lot of comical moments.”
“Fiddler on the Roof,” with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, is set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. The story revolves around Tevye, a poor dairy farmer and father of five daughters, as he attempts to maintain his family and their religious traditions while the world and civilization around him are rapidly changing.
The original Broadway production opened Sept. 22, 1964 at the Imperial Theatre, then moved to the Majestic Theatre in 1967 and finally to the Broadway Theatre in 1971. This original Broadway run ran for a record-setting total of 3,242 performances and was nominated for 10 Tony awards, winning nine.
“The show was produced as a film in 1971 which is probably how most of us were introduced to it,” said Jay Nelson, music director. “There have been several Broadway revival productions (1976, 1981, 1990), the most recent was in 2004 and starred Presque Isle’s own John Cariani as Motel the tailor.”
Nelson said the musical is a “classic show that includes several rousing group numbers interspersed with solos and duets galore.”
“It is a show that appears to have become almost a forgotten show until you hear the music again,” he said. “As with any great musical there is a wonderful mixture of fun songs, sad songs, fast songs, slow songs and everything in-between.
“Perhaps the most familiar of the songs would be ‘Tradition,’ ‘Matchmaker,’ ‘Sunrise, Sunset,’ ‘To Life, L’chaim,’ and the major showstopper, ‘If I Were a Rich Man,’” said Nelson. “However, there are several other great songs to discover, or rediscover, when you come to the show.”
In addition to great songs, “Fiddler on the Roof” will feature wonderful sets, costumes, dance numbers, and, of course, great acting.
“‘Fiddler’ could not go up without the efforts of set designer Joe Zubrick, choreographer Colleen Duplissie, costume designer Sharon Berz, consultant Ray Gribetz, and many, many others,” said Kyle Green, assistant director. “Joe always pours himself into his work, but he’s truly outdone himself this time with his Mark Chagall-inspired set design. Given enough time, Colleen could probably teach a cinderblock how to dance, and Sharon’s expertise in costuming is incredible. Ray met with the cast at our first read-through, assisting our characters’ development by explaining the Jewish customs underlying the story.”
“People can expect to see the fabulous talent and energies of our local students,” Glidden said. “They’ll see some familiar faces and some new ones, too. I usually don’t mention names because all the kids really do a great job, but Zach Fowler should be mentioned. He has the extremely demanding role of Tevye, the milkman … the lead character. Zach is a talented young man and does a stellar job bringing this complex character to life. He, alone, is worth the price of the ticket.”
Auditions this year were great, and Glidden said SAD 1 is blessed with a lot of talent.
“So much so that we had our work cut out for us casting the play,” she said. “Many of the kids are so talented they could play a number of characters, so we as the directors had to narrow it down. Not an easy task, but we feel we have them in roles where they will shine.”
Nelson agreed.
“These kids are awesome,” he said. “They are serious about the show, hard working, very dedicated, and still have a lot of fun in the process. Additionally, they all get along and are very supportive of each other. They have been a joy to work with.”
The “Fiddler on the Roof” cast, crew and pit includes Christen Allen (Villager), Divya Bisht (Villager), Katrina Boyles (stage crew), Lydia Brown (stage crew), Jacob Buob (stage crew), Richie Byrnes (Motel), Madelyn Carson (Hodel), Josh Couture (string bass), Laurel Curtis (trombone), Seth Doughty (Rabbi), Zack Dow (lights/sound), Colleen Duplissie (choreographer), Anne Elish (Tzeitel), Matt Flora (Perchik), Rich Flora (Fyedka), Rosalyn Forbes (stage crew), Zach Fowler (Tevye), Jordan Francke (Mordcha), Caroline Freeman (stage crew), Tamia Glidden (stage director), Sarah Gorneault (Villager), Kyle Green (assistant director/pit), Nick Green (Avram), Hillary Griffin (Villager), Martha Hamlin (Villager), Nicole Jimenez (stage crew), Josh Jones (trumpet), Kori Kinney (Shprintze), Kevin Kinsey (French horn), Jesse Lucas (Yussel), Marila Marecos (stage crew), Melissa Morrison (Shaindel), Hannah Nelson (Bielke), Jay Nelson (music director), Paige Nichols (Golde), Nick Norton (percussion), Ben Potvin (Reeds), Josh Rowland (Lazar), Brittani Ryhnold (Villager), Keely Sawyer (Yente/Rifka), Ben Schneider (mandolin), Katy Schneider (Grandma Tzeitel), Adam Scott (trumpet), Germaine Scott (Fruma-Sarah), Luke Sexton (Constable), Dan Sipe (Fiddler/Sasha), Mimi Smith (Yente/Rifka), Chelsie Spooner (stage crew), Caroline Thibodeau (Chava), Keisha Ward (stage crew), Ashley Williamson (Nahum) and Joe Zubrick (set director).
Performances are at 7 p.m. Nov. 8-10 and Nov. 15-17 at the PIHS Auditorium, with a 2 p.m. matinee Saturday, Nov. 17.
Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students and seniors, and are available at the high school, Goin’ Postal ® and The Silver Basket in Presque Isle, and the Maine Dance Academy in Caribou.
