Lakota West Theatre performed a highly energetic classic, Fiddler on the Roof. It was amazing from beginning to end and it is something you would never want to miss.
At the beginning of the musical, Jews and Orthodox Christians live in the little village of Anatevka in the pre-revolutionary Russia of the Czars in 1905. A tradition of the Jewish community is that a matchmaker will match a man and woman together to be married if the father of the bride approves of the match. Reb Tevye (Ethan Kuchta) is a poor milkman who has been married for twenty-five years to Golde (Hailey Smith). They have 5 daughters together, and the matchmaker is attempting to marry the first one-off. When the local matchmaker Yente Gina Garand) arranges the match between Tevye’s older daughter Tzeitel (Emma King) and the old butcher Lazar Wolf (Jacob deVilliers), Tevye agrees to the wedding. However, Tzeitel is in love with the poor tailor Motel Kamzoil (Peyton Allan). They ask Tevye for his permission for Tzeitel to marry. This move from tradition sets off an entire chain of events where Tevye is forced to confront his culture’s traditions — and the place of the Jewish people in the world.
The Fiddler’s ( Kaylee Fickle) amazing choreography was a nice touch, and the Rabbi (Lucas Moody) and matchmaker Yente ( Maggie Drake) made me laugh the most. The dancing, singing, costumes, lights, and construction of the stage were impressive thanks to the production staff. Without a doubt, though Ethan’s Kuchta carried the musical with a great vocal and emotional range.
This play was directed by Mrs. Kim Eldridge, who has been in the educational theatre for 27 years. She has been wanting to present Fiddler on the Roof for 25 years. She “grew up listening to the record and hearing her parents talk about meeting Topal (an original Teyve) in the 1960s.” She was hoping for a wonderful performance this year, and the Lakota West Theater made that wish come true.
The students in this musical and the students behind the scenes are absolutely resilient even through a tough year like this one. They were able to give an amazing performance. It highlighted how talented Lakota West theatre is, and it is a show I would definitely not want to miss. The only thing I would change is that I wish it was longer!
