A Utah Theater Review by Jennifer Mustoe
Utah Community theater fires up in the summer. One of the truly great venues to enjoy a good musical is Orem’s SCERA Shell Theater. This year’s production of Fiddler on the Roof is worth seeing and I’d like to tell you why.
But I need to start at the beginning. My companions, my son Caden and our friend Corena, both 16-year-old thespians, were in Diamond Fork Junior High’s production of Fiddler a few years ago. All three of us came to last night’s performance with excitement, but a little concern. Would it be similar enough to Caden’s (who played Tevye) and Corena’s (who was an ensemble member) performances to help us feel “comfortable” but different enough to delight us? It’s always a little awkward when you see a show that you’ve invested in personally, and why being a reviewer as well as an actor makes my job fun and a little bit tricky at times, as well.
For those who’ve never been to the SCERA, it is an outdoor theater with a huge expanse of lawn to sit on. The first third has space for chairs that you can rent for a dollar a piece. On the sides and behind the chair area is open to anyone who has a blanket and is willing to sit on the ground. My companions and I chose the blanket option, not because we’re cheap, but because it’s really the only way to do the SCERA Shell.
There is no curtain for this stage, so the first thing you see as you walk along the lawn is the amazing, incredible, colorful, elegant, beautiful set, designed by Teri Griffin. I know – that’s a lot of descriptors. But I can’t say enough about this set. It is really cool. There are structures on each side of the stage and a ramp down the middle. Blue, purple, all types of brown, gold, black, orange – all these hues and more define and highlight the set, delighting the audience before an actor even comes onstage. Caden and Corena kept saying things like, “The stage is so awesome.” So there you have it.
The first actor to appear is Alexis Tracy, the Fiddler, and this girl (who wears a cap to make her look like a boy) can really play. Her sweet, perfect notes set a tone for the show, creating excitement in the crowd. I watched the audience around me go from “hey, let’s get started” to “now that’s what I’m talkin’ about.”
The first number, “Tradition,” sung by Tevye, the principals, and the 45 ensemble members, was good, but I wanted more. Though there were lots of people, there wasn’t much going on. I wanted more interaction amongst the villagers. The sheer number of the group was impressive, but they seemed more like a backdrop and not a living, breathing group of people who live together, sharing friendships and suffering through the typical small town squabbles.
However, I will say here that the beauty of the colorful set is also carried out with costume designer’s Deborah Bowman’s amazing costumes, each one slightly different, and they added to, contrasted, and combined with the set’s rich tones. It was delicious to the eyes.
The three oldest daughters, Tzeietel, played by Hannah Herring, Hodel, played by Katie Abbott, and Chava, played by Emily Erdmann, sang the popular “Matchmaker” next. Each young woman had good voices; Erdmann especially stands out with her clear, strong, lovely performance. The dance they did as they sang their song could have had more punch, but my real concern was I didn’t get a sense that these young ladies were really sisters. I wanted more camaraderie, maybe even a slight crabbiness between them as sisters tend to have from time to time.
Choreographer Penny Colvin’s dances were fine. It’s hard to get such a big group of community theater players, most of who presumably aren’t trained dancers, to all move at the same time with the same steps. However, the type of dancing required for this show isn’t that difficult. I had hoped, again, to see more passion, hear some calls and hollers as the men danced with one another, the women cooing and giggling as they held hands and moved. The exception to this was the delightful number performed after the wedding, which was excellent, filled with fun, drama, and exciting footwork. I felt its passion. We all loved it.
Tevye, played by Neal Barth, did an interesting job. My companions and I had some expectations for how Tevye should behave that were not met. Barth was not highly demonstrative, loud, slightly angry, and stomping as Caden was in his production. We came expecting stomping and during “If I Were a Rich Man,” when Barth didn’t really get into the dance, I admit, we all felt let down. However, what Barth did do that made up for it was this. First, he fleshed out the script with gestures, mouthing some of the words clearly enough for everyone to see, grunting, groaning, throwing his hands up, and otherwise moving with his interpretation of Tevye. Barth looks a little like a Russian Jewish Santa in the show, but by the second act, he was Tevye for me. He speaks clearly, loud enough, and sings fairly well. I found I didn’t miss the anger as much as I thought I would.
Barth’s Tevye also seems to have a real relationship with his wife Golde, played by Agnes Broberg, whose performance we enjoyed quite a lot. Her voice seemed a little raw, as if she had a sore throat, but that didn’t detract from her musical numbers. In fact, it seemed to accentuate her obvious tiredness at her difficult life as a milkman’s wife. She showed her slight disappointment in her dreamer husband, obviously loved her daughters, enjoyed her town, and ultimately accepted her life.
Tevye’s family is rounded out by Shprintze, played by Grace Elison, and Bielke, played by Olivia Dayton, both cute little girls who spoke clearly and did a good job.
The supporting cast was really what my companions and I enjoyed the most. They are:
- Yente, the matchmaker, played delightfully by Delayne Bluth Dayton. Bravo to this woman. She stole every scene she was in.
- Daniel Tomlinson’s portrayal of the timid tailor Motel was awesome, and spot on. When he cowered, pleading with Tevye to not yell at him, it got the biggest laughs of the night.
- Perchik, played by Andrew Cook, was great. He has a great voice, has great movement, and great stage presence. I hope to see him in bigger, better roles in upcoming years.
- Lazar Wolf, played by Robert Holcombe, Sr. was amazing and I was only disappointed that he didn’t have a larger role. He was our personal favorite in the show.
- Lynne D. Bronson’s Grandma Tzeietel was hilarious. I’ve never seen a ghost strut like that. It was really fun.
- Fyedka, played by Andrew Olsen, also shone in the scenes he was in.
The best numbers of the show were: “To Life” and “The Wedding.” They are filled with fun and are a delight.
The sound had a few tiny glitches, but the sound crew, led by Kendall Bowman, knows their stuff at the SCERA. Most everything was clear, loud enough, and pure.
Finally, I would like to mention my thoughts as I watched this very familiar show. Though Fiddler on the Roof is about one family living a life, trying to make it in a difficult world, the themes of Judaism, racism, intolerance, faith in God, and learning to get along in a community are very clear. I was struck by this when Caden and Corena performed this show two years ago, and I was struck by this again. I recommend taking the time to discuss these themes with your friends and family that you see the show with. SCERA’s portrayal of this show’s themes were poignant without being preachy, and I like that.
Parking is plentiful and free at the SCERA Shell, the staff (most or all who are volunteers, I believe) are helpful, and the venue is clean and tidy.
To sum up, I would recommend seeing SCERA’s Fiddler on the Roof, but please, don’t take your toddlers. The venue’s hill is just too tempting for little ones to resist rolling down and that is distracting to us. And the show is long. We left at 11:00 – far too late for little ones to be able to handle. I think if you have a keen, theater loving 8-year-old or older, by all means, take them. You’ll all enjoy it.
SCERA Shell Outdoor Theater “Fiddler on the Roof” SCERA Shell Outdoor Theater, 669 S State St., Orem
August 3-18, Mon, Thurs-Sat, 8:00 PM Gen Admission: Adult $10, Child/Student/Senior $8 Reserved: Adult $12, $14, Child/Student/Senior $10-$12 (801) 225-ARTS
Reviewer Jennifer Leigh-Mustoe with Daniel Tomlinson
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