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Reviews From TCP's Production of New Hamburg Independent photos
Fiddler on the rink BRENT DAVIS, K-W
RECORD STAFF NEW HAMBURG -- Arriving for a night at the theatre one year, a patron walked into the darkened space, took one look around, and said something that made Brent Roth smile. "She said, 'I didn't know this room was here,' " the artistic director of the Community Players of New Hamburg recalled. That room is the cavernous and very familiar ice surface at the New Hamburg arena, typically home to bodychecks and power plays, not musical numbers or This year, the arena has become the little Russian village of Anatevka, circa 1905, for the group's production of Fiddler on the Roof, complete with wooden homes, wagons and even a working water pump. Black curtains around the perimeter of the boards hide the stands from view; portable chairs for nearly 600 theatre-goers are set up on the ice-free concrete floor. "You have to create a building within a building," Roth said. "We basically try to hide the fact we're in an arena. This is the 18th season for the charitable group, and the fourth spring musical they've mounted in the hockey arena since moving downstairs from the smaller "The first year when Brent said he was going to put it on the arena floor, I thought he was nuts," said sound This year's show, featuring an all-volunteer cast of 59, a crew of 60 and a 26-person orchestra, has been in the works since November. And there's no shortage of
New Hamburg's Fiddler
can play with the best Community theatre is supposed to be amateur and should be judged at that level. But when I saw the Community Players of New Hamburg production of Fiddler on the Roof on Saturday at the New Hamburg Arena, I was literally blown away. No amateur community production I have ever seen has been any better than this. Let me qualify the word amateur. Some think that the use of the word is to imply a lesser quality, but it really means that people are involved for the love of it rather than for the money. This New Hamburg Fiddler on the Roof may have been cast and produced by and with volunteers, but it puts many professional companies to shame, and that this was being done for the love of it shone through every facet of the production. It's one thing to move a theatrical company into an established theatre venue and put on a show, but moving into a space like the New Hamburg Arena means that before you construct the set you first construct the stage, the dressing room areas, the scene and prop bays, the orchestra pit, and install all of the lighting. Only then can you think of the show itself. Every theatregoer knows the story of Fiddler on the Roof, about a poor Jewish milkman named Tevye who lives with his five daughters in the little village of Anatevka in turn-of-the-last-century Russia. Fiddler played on Broadway for eight years with Zero Mostel as Tevye and in London for four years with Topol, who went on to do the movie version. Tevye is the pivotal role in Fiddler, for everything revolves around him and his reactions to the trials of life, poverty and the changing world. Kirk Lackenbauer played Tevye, and a better performance and interpretation of the role you will not see. Lackenbauer's subtlety, his nuances, his gentle humour, the understated solidarity, all coupled with his wonderful voice -- these strengths were the lynchpin for the entire production, and everyone rose to the challenge. The cast was huge -- some 57 performers and an orchestra of 26 -- yet there was never a feeling of clutter, thanks to the choreography of Karen Prior Cashin and the shared direction of John Cull and Brent Roth. Tevye's wife Golde, played by Wendy Wagler, his three elder daughters Hodel, Chava and Tzeitel played by Danielle Guistini, Lauren Guistini and Deanne Reist, all sang and acted beautifully, as did their suitors. In fact, there wasn't an iffy voice in the show, astounding for a small town. Space doesn't permit a comment on all 25 principals, but special mention must be given Marianne Guistini as Yente, the matchmaker, who took me right back to my days of teaching in a Jewish community in Montreal, and the dynamic, hilarious cameo of Lenore Vaillant as Fruma Sarah in the dream sequence. Unlike most productions, this one was not shortened, so even the seldom-performed songs were heard in their entirety. The staging, the set, the lighting, the sound, the costumes, the props and the orchestra under Mike Bondi, all combined to produce an outstanding theatrical experience. Their five-show run was completely sold out, witness to the pride and support of the whole town and surrounding region. This is community theatre at its very best.
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