Bookended between Easter and Passover, the beloved musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” as performed by the JFed Players, will open April 6 at Porticos Art Space in Pasadena. Of course, you may have seen it before. It’s the kind of show people tend to see again and again. It’s also the kind of show theater ensembles love to perform again and again.
This will be the second time around for the JFed Players, who first staged the production in 2007. Many of the cast members from that show have returned for this new production, including Pasadena actor John Carlton, who had a supporting role in the earlier production and is back this time in the starring role of Tevye.
The earlier show was my late husband George’s first time performing with the ensemble. When my mother heard that the theater group was casting for “Fiddler” she encouraged, actually insisted, that George audition. Even though he had been performing in community theater for most of his adult life, he was hesitant because, at the time, he was neither Jewish nor a member of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center where the show was being staged.
However, when I relayed his concerns to Cantor Judy Sofer who was directing the musical, she had only one question: “Can he sing?”
George landed the role of the butcher and was on stage for almost every JFed Players production until he passed away in 2018. I’m pretty sure he will be in the wings cheering on the actors and whispering notes to the directorm Cantor Judy, who is the Cultural Arts Program Coordinator for the Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys.
Personally, I am so excited about this show that, every time I see my adult daughter, I start singing, “Where is the little girl I carried?”
Whether you want to revisit some of your past Fiddler moments, or you’re a first-timer visiting the village of Anatevka, this show promises to be a memory maker.
Performances
Saturdays, April 6, 13, 20 and 27, at 8:00 p.m.
Sundays, April 7,14, 21 and 28, at 3:30 p.m.
Thursdays, April 11, 18, and 25, at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets www.jewishsgpv.org or 626-445-0810
Email patriciabunin@sbcglobal.net. Visit her on X @patriciabunin and patriciabunin.com.
Related Articles
Pushed, pressed, pulled and provoked: Some words are not our friends
Senior Moments: Sure, the letter was full of good news. But now what?
What I learned watching Coach Iris and her preschoolers
After 15 years of Senior Moments, these are the 3 most commonly asked questions
How a grandmother’s old saying slowly came into sharp focus
