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Staging 'Fiddler on the Roof' here requires talented cast and crew
"I must admit it's a big undertaking, more than I actually anticipated," he said. "But when you've got good, talented people to work with like Shay Harris and Sherri Bowers in the music department, Angelyn Price as Assistant Director, and John Dunfee as the stage and everything-else-you-need-done guy, a lot of things fall into place." The Washington Little Theater Company will present four performances of Fiddler on the Roof on April 3, 4, and 5, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 6, at 3 p.m. at the Bolton Lunceford Playhouse on Alexander Avenue. Tickets are available at the door, but it is best to call ahead for reservations at 706-678-9582. Coe says the music in the play has been a challenge for singers and musicians to master. "The music in itself, while beautiful, festive, at times poignant and heart-wrenching, is also complicated because of the Jewish folk-style with unusual chord rhythms and sharp and flatkey changes interspersed in the melodies, which makes the numbers a challenge both to play and sing," he said. The singing is especially difficult,Coe said, because the singers are engaged in the process of acting and moving about the stage at the same time. "It's a lot to expect from a cast within a relatively short practice period, but we have been fortunate to get the kind of willing, able, enthusiastic cast that we have." Visitors to rehearsals have seen the actors, Coe said, and said "Where did you findthese people to cast? They're perfect!" "We have wonderful actors playing their roles, like Lucille Bray as Grandma Tzeitel, Rilla Spellman as Yente the matchmaker, Henry Harris as the butcher Lazer Wolf," he said. "Then there is Thomas Fanning, a newcomer to the stage, who portrays The Rabbi, gentle and meek, almost skittish. In contrast, there is veteran actress Kay Nelms, as Fruma-Sara, the Butcher's dead wife who rises from the grave in a dream scene. She is neither gentle nor meek, but very Yiddish!" "And I have to say," Coe said "that everyone's smitten with the way Billy Creel, another WLTC veteran, and Rose Weser, who's making her stage debut here, bring the characters of Tevye and Golde to life."
Coe says his directorial debut all came together with prayer. "Believe me, this production was prayed into existence," he said. "It certainly must be a blessed endeavor because, by the looks of all the set construction and the hectic practice schedule, it's apparent that a lot of folks are hard at work in this play. And anyone observing can tell it really is a labor of love and a shared joy by the whole crew."
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