The first obstacle is casting the lead role of Tevya. The show rests on his shoulders and his time on stage requires pages of memorization. Cody Mandell captured Tevya’s joy of life, his deep faith, as well as his pain and confusion as his daughters went against his beloved traditions. Cody has been such a presence on the stage at Bald Eagle that I was very surprised, but happy, to read that he is a junior and that we will see him next year.
My favorite part in Fiddler is Tevya’s wife Golde, the mother of his five daughters. Meghan Shiels was a loving nag. Her duet Do You Love Me? with Cody was very touching.
Although it is impossible to give credit to everyone in such a large cast, there are several seniors who will be missed next year. Kaitlyn Laird was a charming Hodel, the first daughter to leave home. Richard Spicer has been such a delight over his 15 productions. His solo Miracle of Miracles was full of the joy of a newly engaged young man. Benjamin Leskovansky as Perchik showed us that jocks can act. Lazar Wolf was well handled by Clifford Smolko. Also leaving Bald Eagle this year will be L. J. Flood, Billie-Jo Friedline, and Jared Maurer. It will be interesting to see who takes their places.
One of the outstanding scenes of the evening was The Dream scene. This was in a large part thanks to Alice Statham and Katie Snyder. This also was a great showcase for the excellent work of the chorus.
The chorus, the dance ensembles, the sets, and costumes all were so well done and captured the spirit of the people who lived in Anatevka.
Good job everyone. Thank you Mr. Brinser and Ms. Allison for a show that was genuinely moving.
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