The Theatre Company of Sun City will bring the beloved musical, Fiddler on the Roof, to the Drendel Ballroom stage this month. Through humor, warmth, and hauntingly beautiful music, Fiddler transports the audience to the Russian shtetl of Anatevka in 1905, where Tevye, the Jewish milkman, tries to make ends meet while doing his best to keep his family together, trying to balance heading up a household with five daughters and a headstrong wife without casting aside long-held traditions. As the daughters grow up and reach marrying age, Tevye must pick his battles.
Carol Finckle reprises the role of Golde, the brusque and long-suffering wife of Tevye. Finckle portrayed Golde on the Sun City stage before, 18 years ago. She says she is thrilled to return to the role for Fiddler, which she considers a timeless, timely, and important staple of musical theater.
Tickets may be purchased by cash or check on Monday, November 11 in the Cedar Room from 12-3 p.m. Tickets are $25. For more information on tickets, call 847-515-1583 or 847-515-8545.
As the actors are preparing for their roles, other key elements, like costumes and sets, involve many people working behind the scenes.
Judy Scherer, in charge of wigs and beards, had never made a beard before this production. She turned to YouTube many times before she found the right look using what she describes as “liquid latex, tulle, and a lot of guesswork.” She says she’ll be making 10 beards and quite a few mustaches. “You’ll see the rabbi,” she says. “He has a very long beard. His was a real challenge!”
Diane Scott has been busy sewing pants, prayer shawls, vests, and sabbath coats for the characters. In the spirit of the show, she asked for fabric donations, so the costumes are made from sheets, tablecloths, and placemats. Even a donated 1955 wedding dress will make an appearance, which Scott expertly dismantled and refashioned. More unusual tasks have included making a butcher’s apron by running it over with her car, then smearing it with a mixture of corn syrup, chocolate syrup, and red food dye, as well as dirtying a beggar’s shirt with shoe polish and even burned parts of it for a ragged, distressed look.
L to R: Burt Natkins, Frank Gaughan, and John Froberg lead cast during a musical scene. (Photo by Tony Pratt/My Sun Day News)
Finally, the set must be designed and constructed. Before rehearsals even begin, set designer Jim Rice studies the script and works closely with the director to work out the concept and overall look. The Woodchucks assemble it, then it is painted. “I look upon the sets as an integral part of the show,” says Rice. “It helps convey the overall story.”
Finckle says this group effort is what makes the theater so special. “This theater company was founded to provide an opportunity for everyone in our beautiful community to experience the transformative power of the theater arts.”
