If he was a rich man: Howard Dandy as Tevye with his on-stage wife and daughters in Fiddler on the Roof.
HAMISH BROOKS
GEELONG Lyric Theatre Society will bring musical theatre back to Geelong’s Costa Hall with a performance of the timeless classic Fiddler on the Roof.
Davina Smith Crowley will direct a cast of 75 on a stage bereft of musicals since Les Miserables in 2000.
Co-producer Ben Crowley said the theatre society wanted the show to “challenge the boundaries from an artistic perspective”.
“We thought we were best able to create a landscape of vastness in Costa Hall, which is suited to (main character) Teyve’s struggles to preserve his family’s Jewish traditions in the face of changes in Russian society.”
Crowley said the Costa Hall production would give one of Geelong’s leading actors, Howard Dandy, his long-awaited chance to play the coveted role of Tevye.
“It was nice to give Geelong’s leading actor the opportunity to play a role he has always wanted to play,” Crowley said.
“It will also be the first time, in acting careers spanning 30 to 40 years, that he and his brother Bert (who plays The Rabbi) have appeared in the same show together.”
Crowley said the cast of 75 featured 18 children and nearly as many teenagers, fulfilling one of the lyric society’s aims of bringing experienced actors together with inexperienced thespians beginning their careers.
“Having so many wonderful, experienced actors in the show has really lifted the level of the performance. All the youngsters are learning a lot.”
Crowley attributed the ongoing appeal of Fiddler on the Roof to the power of the story and its rich music.
“Audiences love it because the emotion and strength of the story is passed on through the musical score, which is, I believe, the best in musical theatre.
“It also explains why some of Geelong’s best musicians have volunteered for the orchestra – that and the wonderful orchestra pit at Costa Hall.”
The lyric society’s production of Fiddler on the Roof will be at Costa Hall, in Deakin University’s Waterfront campus, from June 10 to 18.
