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La Mirada Theatre For the Performing Arts & McCoy Rigby Entertainment are thrilled to present the legendary musical event of the fall season about family, love, faith, and, of course, “tradition”. Accomplished actor, writer, composer, director, and Tony Award-winner Jason Alexander stars in the coveted dream role as “Tevye” in “Fiddler on the Roof”. Director, Lonny Price, and choreographer, Lee Martino, faithfully revitalize the 1964 Broadway production as a definitive homage to the brilliant work laid out by the show’s original creators that remains a long-standing musical icon.
Tevye the dairy man (Jason Alexander) and his wife Golde (Valerie Perri) live in the quaint village of Anatevka blessed with their five daughters. “Tradition” is held to high esteem among the community of Russian Jews in 1905 but can be as unsteady as a fiddle player on a rooftop with outside influences challenging beliefs held for generations. The three eldest daughters hold on to the tradition of Yente (Eileen T’Kaye) being the “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” to find them suitable men to marry as their devoted husbands.
Tevye often speaks to God reflecting on his poor life and what a dream it would be “If I Were a Rich Man”. After “Sabbath Prayer”, Tevye meets with and agrees to Lazar Wolf the weathly butcher (Ron Orbach) marrying his eldest daughter as a good match. The promising prospect brings the men and other villages to drink and dance “To Life”. Everything seems to be going as well as Tevye could hope.
Despite Tevye’s daughters original desires to be wed in arranged marriages like their parents before them, outside influences show them a different path. They want to be married for love. This would only prove to be the beginning of Tevye’s struggle to uphold everything he lived and worked so hard for only to realize how much of the radical outside world would affect everyone he held dear to his heart and soul. How much of himself can he let go and accept to see to his family’s happiness?
Childhood sweethearts Tzeitel (Rachel Ravel) and Motel the tailor (Cameron Mabie) pledged each other to marriage. Devoted Hodel (Alanba J. Smith) and Perchik the student (Remy Laifer) seek Tevye’s blessing, but not his permission. Bookworm Chava (Emerson Glick) and Fyedka, a young man (Sawyer Patterson), runaway at Tevye’s disapproval of a relationship outside the faith. To make matters worse, the Constable (Gregory North) warns and brings a violent demonstration of the Russians evicting the Jewish community from their home.
“Fiddler on the Roof” has never looked or sounded better than at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts. The star studded cast shines not only from Jason Alexander but everyone else on stage as well. The perfect matchmaking cast this production has ever seen and heard. There’s really no other comparison.
La Mirada and McCoy Rigby has outdone themselves yet again. The lively and festive choreography dances circles around your head. The heavenly sublime vocals can clear gloomy skies any day. Every actor can be seen having the time of their lives. Emotionally tense performances that will leave you in tears. Superb direction honors the original with exquisite precision and careful attention. It doesn’t get any better than this. After a long-spanning prominent career in the arts, Jason Alexander fulfills a life-long dream that exceptionally pays off and plays out tremendously in a tour-de-force performance.
Surely to be a beautiful and memorably bright highlight not only in the coveted role of Tevye, but to ever be so fortunate to work amongst trusted and talented colleagues. Jason Alexander captivates the audience from the powerful sunrise opening to the dismal sunset closing. This is the definitive production of “Fiddler on the Roof” that will keep the audience engrossed for years to come.
“Fiddler on the Roof” featuring Jason Alexander is playing at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts from November 8 to December 1, 2024.
