October 17, 2025 • 36 mins
What makes a Broadway show a classic? How exactly does a musical or play stand the test of time compared to others? The Golden Age of Broadway is filled with so many shows that have stood the test of time, coming back in revivals and local productions to much fanfare. Nicely Theatre Group understands the importance of shows from this Golden Age, bringing to their stage Fiddler on the Roof in all its glory! We spoke to two of the stars, Alexa Carollo and Patrick Lane, about their time in Fiddler on the Roof and what audiences can expect!
In this exclusive Box Seat Babes, Alexa Carollo and Patrick Lane discuss the importance of a show such as Fiddler on the Roof and the honor it is to bring it to Nicely Theatre Group in West Bloomfield! There's a strong exploration of the bonds between parents and children, a theme that both Carollo and Lane feel in their personal lives. With a large ensemble and just as big an orchestra, Nicely Theatre Group is pulling out all the stops for the grandest of theatrical experiences. Are there any challenges to a show such as this? How many times can the host admit to not knowing anything about Fiddler on the Roof? Check out this fun interview to find out more!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Thank you so much Alexa and Patrick for joining me today to discuss Nicely Theater'sFiddler on the Roof.
(00:04):
How are you two doing?
Great.
How are you, Brian?
doing wonderful.
How are you doing, Alexa?
I'm doing well.
Excited to talk about Fiddler on the Roof.
Yeah, cause you're just about two weeks out from opening night, correct?
That's right.
And I just had a mini heart attack.
No, I'm just kidding.
Yeah.
Very excited.
Two weeks from now.
(00:24):
Alexa, what's kind of the feeling going through your mind right now with being two weeksout from the show?
Well, I think we're at that stage where everything is starting.
It's like the rehearsals where everything is added.
Like you get some microphones, you have half a costume.
uh You know, some nights the orchestra's there, we just had our sitzprobe.
Some nights it's the piano and the violin.
So every rehearsal brings like two new things, but then takes away two things you had atthe last rehearsal.
(00:49):
So we're kind of in that weird, like getting our sea legs portion of the rehearsal processwhere...
uh
You're just waiting for everything to click and everything to be there.
Patrick, is it kind of like unsettling then when things are being like tossed in andtossed out as you're building those the show and the characters?
always right you know alexa put it best with sea legs and i've heard that many times in inall the theater that i've done right it's
(01:15):
It really does feel like you're on a boat rocking back and forth or a roller coaster.
I've heard that analogy too, right?
It's how many of these different things can we add in the layers of lighting, right?
All of a sudden you're coming out on stage and you normally look up.
have these moments where I look to God and I speak to God and there's a spotlight in yourface, right?
(01:36):
You're like, oh, oh, there's a light there now, you know, there's, there's all of thesedifferent things that you add in and uh,
and make it the production that the audience ends up seeing.
You know, I think it's interesting because you don't usually get a look behind the scenesof stuff like that.
And actually with two of your previous productions, I got to see uh rehearsals, you know.
(01:57):
So for Fun Home, you guys were kind of having like a straight run through.
ah But Patrick, when I came to Guys and Dolls for one of the rehearsals, it was very muchlike they stopped.
There was conversations.
It was like, how do we throw this in?
How do we change that?
Does this look right?
And so it's kind of interesting to see that and knowing that that's where you guys arekind of at right now.
And then...
what the finished product eventually comes out to be.
(02:19):
You know what, just to throw this in there, that's what I love about theater.
That's why it's a living, breathing thing.
Depending upon when you come as an audience member, it'll be different night to night.
And especially you seeing it during a rehearsal.
It's not all there yet, right?
It's not a finished product.
(02:39):
And even that finished product will have different iterations, right?
The more comfortable we get in the run, audiences laugh at different places every night.
Like it's a very evolving, living, breathing thing, you know?
Sorry, go ahead.
more airs in a show like Fiddler 2 than you said when I saw Fun Home, you guys werealready just running.
(03:02):
Well, what was there, five people in that cast?
Relatively low costume changes.
Fiddler on the Roof is a 19-person orchestra, huge dance numbers.
You've got multiple vocal parts.
You have a huge ensemble.
So I feel like the layers, the more bodies you add and the more long-term of a story youhave to tell,
(03:24):
the more layers you add it just kind of makes it so you can't just get up and go as easyas the five people shows, the five person shows.
I was gonna say, just from the previews that I've seen of Fiddler on the Roof, this is ahuge show.
Like that stage is filled with people pretty much the entire, what they're showing theentire time.
Yeah, it's intense in a good way.
(03:45):
So with the show itself, as I stated prior to us recording, uh while I've been passionateabout theater my entire life, I don't know what Fiddler on the roof is.
So Alexa, I was kind of hoping if you could tell us a general gist of the story andPatrick jump on in whenever you have bits and pieces to add to it.
I think the simplest way, and I think you're gonna get a lot of backlash from saying thatyou've never seen it, because I feel like people who like Fiddler like it so much that
(04:15):
they're very aggressive about it.
So you might be hearing some stuff about never seeing it.
ah It's a very conservative Jewish family back in what time period is this?
Patrick, me.
Early 1900s.
Yeah.
So he has five daughters and he starts the show talking about like our whole lives aretradition.
(04:37):
This is how we live.
This is how we work.
This is how we eat.
This is how we dress.
And then each one of his daughters, as you go through the show, kind of does somethingthat makes Tevye, and I don't want to give anything away because you haven't seen it.
Everybody else is like, you can't spoil Fiddler on the roof.
That's everybody's favorite.
ah Each one of his daughters does something that makes him question how far can he deviatefrom his tradition and still be himself.
(05:01):
and still be, you know, this devout Jewish man in this community.
But it's just kind of showing how the world is changing around them, I think.
But I'm not Tevye.
I mean, I'm not playing Tevye.
He's trying to still hold on to his beliefs and his traditions, although everything aroundhim is shifting.
I don't know.
Patrick probably has a better take on it since he's...
(05:22):
know.
think from, Alexis said it very well, I think really what interests me and what I thinkthe audience, inevitably about a show like this, is that it's so relevant to all of us.
No matter where you come from, your way of life, it's that sort of push-pull, that tensionbetween what is my status quo now, the traditions, my daily life, what I do in and out of
(05:52):
every
day and what happens to me, to my village, my family, my people, what happens when thoseways of life are challenged or changed, whether by in good ways or horrendous ways, right?
um
I mean, obviously this is a traditionally Jewish story, and I think even when the moviecame out, I don't know what year it was, but I'm assuming it was in the 60s, right, when
(06:20):
the movie came out, nobody thought it would do well because they thought it was too Jewishof a story, right?
That's not true at all.
People in Japan.
are now doing this musical and saying, no, no, no, no, this is a Japanese story.
We relate to this.
This is very close to home for the way we live and our traditions and our way of life,right?
(06:48):
So I've always found that very interesting, that push pull, that tension between what isnow and what is coming, what we'll do, you know?
It really kind of is that timeless tale of just like living up to like parents andexpectations and family and heritage and stuff like that, that does kind of cross any kind
(07:09):
of boundaries.
know, this is things that I still as a psychologist hear people talking about today, nomatter what, you know?
So I think that that is why it kind of stands that test of time.
uh So were you two familiar with this?
And I'm the only one that wasn't familiar with the story prior to it.
You might be the only one in the world that was not, no, just kidding.
(07:31):
When did, Alexa, when did you, did you know the movie growing up like I did?
didn't know the movie, but I had seen...
various school and community theater productions and pretty much knew all the musicbecause my whole life I've only listened to show tunes, not popular music.
So that's kind of one of those things that you stumble upon when you're younger trying tofind new shows.
(07:52):
You know, somebody will tell you, I remember actually my cheerleading coach from middleschool was getting married and she was like, I want Sunrise Sunset sang at my wedding.
Alexa, were you singing it for me right now?
And I didn't know it.
And her and her mother sat there in the gym and sang me Sunrise Sunset and tried to teachme it right there.
that's when I went, think my mom bought me the CD then after that.
And I learned it, and she's coming.
(08:13):
So she reached out to me on Facebook and said she was coming, which I thought was funny.
I said, well, you're the one that introduced me to this show.
But I've seen Community Theater and high school productions and stuff like that.
I've probably seen it five, six times.
But I did not watch the movie until I got in this production.
So, okay, so being the only one here that hadn't seen it, what Patrick really drew you towanting to audition for this show?
(08:40):
You know, I think for me, I'm drawn to roles, yeah, this may be sacrilegious for me tosay, especially in front of Alexa, who grew up only on show tunes, right?
There are some musicals I'm not at all interested in doing, right?
It's like just singing and dancing and fra la la, everything's happy-go-lucky and nothingchanges.
(09:03):
Like, I'm not ever interested in doing Bye Bye Birdie ever, ever, right?
No offense to anybody who likes that show, right?
What I like about this show is that there's such a uh shifting dynamic throughout, right?
There's a range of emotions, a range of scene work to do.
(09:24):
I get to be funny, I get to be distraught, I get to deal with the emotions that a parentdeals with with their children.
I won't give anything away, but it's a challenge, right?
This is gonna sound so pretentious, so I apologize in advance, right?
I listened to Alfred Molina, an interview that he did, because he was playing it onBroadway several years back now.
(09:49):
And the interviewer said to him, this is kind of like the King Lear of musical theater,right?
And Alfred Molina was like, yeah, I'm glad you said that, not me.
But in essence, this is one of those Mount Rushmore roles for an actor in musical theater.
And I've always been interested, I've loved it and I'm thrilled that I get to have a crackat it.
(10:13):
It sounds like these really are complex characters and stories that are going throughhere.
Alexa, what really drew you in?
It sounds like you had, you you heard about this through one of your teachers.
Was that kind of like this love from that point on that really drew you to wanting toaudition?
No.
You
(10:35):
I appreciate the honesty.
You're like, absolutely not.
First and foremost, I am a sucker for Nicely Theater.
I have done six shows with them.
Well, this is my sixth.
And um I really like the environment.
I really like the production crew.
I really like the quality.
I feel home there.
um Being a woman that is coming into her middle-aged part in life, know, dream roles startchanging.
(11:03):
And you start thinking like...
I'm not playing the ingenue anymore, what roles are out there.
And I'm sorry, but Golda is like one of those top roles for a woman like 40 and up.
So that's kind of been on my radar.
So when it popped up and it was Fiddler on the roof, I had a minute and I was like, I amready to transition.
so I went out for this, you know, role and I was on the younger end of the age descriptionwhen they were casting, but the music is so good.
(11:31):
I'm a big sucker for music and...
I don't like dancing, I don't like things like that, but I love like strong, thickharmonies and I just feel like the music in Fiddler on the Roof, especially in our sits
part, we have a 19-piece orchestra.
And just the first beginning of tradition, I had like full body goosebumps and theneverybody started singing and I was like, crap, I have to sing too.
(11:55):
So it's like one of those iconic scores.
Like I would say I'm a singer first and foremost that I, you can't pass that up.
if you have an opportunity to do it and then do it with the ones you love, Nicely andFiddler.
No, I can't pass that up.
And truly, you know, the environment of a theater and who you're with is one of mostimportant pieces here because you could do any show anywhere, but if it's not with
(12:17):
somebody that you trust and you care about and invest into you as much as you invest intothem, then it's not worth it.
It makes all the difference, it really does.
um And so this also sounds like, Alexa, this is like a very transitionary period for youwhere you're like, okay, this is if I'm going to accept a role into this next stage of
acting, this is it.
Yeah, I am now into my mom era.
(12:40):
My mom and grandma era.
As it goes for female, you know, community theater actors.
So speaking of who you're playing in the show, Alexa, who are you in the show and thenwhat's kind of their narrative while not spoiling too much of the show?
am Golda.
I am Tevye's wife.
I am the mother to his five daughters.
(13:03):
I would like to say I'm the backbone of the house, but Tevye might feel differently.
kind of keep the show on the road.
I keep him on the straight and narrow.
Keep him honest about his time constraints as he goes through his days and the things Ineed from him.
Try to keep the family together.
(13:25):
Yeah.
roll.
I aren't all women kind of like that though?
I feel like I relate a lot.
Yes.
Yeah.
They had a debriefing just minutes ago.
Patrick, who are you playing in this show?
(13:47):
I'm playing Tevye and Tevye is, I guess I should just introduce him as Golda's husband isreally how I should introduce him.
oh The father of five daughters, right?
oh The milkman, the dairyman to this local Jewish village, this community, right?
And he's salt of the earth, right?
(14:08):
I think he aspires to be rich.
But but not to be a jerk, but to get to do the things that he loves the most.
He wants he wants things for his family.
He wants things for gold.
Right.
He wants things uh in terms of his relationship to God and his ability to dive into thatrelationship a bit a bit more with ease.
(14:32):
Right.
uh Wealth equals ease.
Right.
He's a working man.
pulls a cart.
His horse is lame.
He has to pull this milk cart through the village.
right, all of the accoutrements, right?
you know, he's...
The journey Tevye goes on is one of a lot of like figuring out who he is, how he relatesto the tradition, how he relates to his family as it changes, as it grows, as it, I guess,
(15:03):
subtracts in some way, oh or contracts in some way, I should say.
But I think...
The journey itself, the momentum of the story really tends to be focused around thatfamily unit and how it evolves.
So it's certainly not Tevye's story any more than Golda's or the Daughters, the Daughters'Suitors, the townspeople.
(15:28):
But yeah, it's such a cool role.
It seems like it's such an ensemble piece that every person is, not that anybody isn'timportant in other shows, but this one really, you need every single piece of the puzzle
to make it work.
couldn't agree with that more.
And you'll see those people, right?
The matchmaker, the butcher, the rabbi, right?
uh The town beggar, right?
(15:51):
You'll see all of these roles as they unfold.
And everybody does such a good job bringing their character to life that it's, you know, Ikind of wait on the wings and I stay backstage a lot during runs because I like to stay
focused.
But I feel like every time I watch it, I see somebody else that I'm like, I didn't knowthey were doing that.
You know, that makes sense that that type of character would be acting like that.
(16:15):
And I feel like every time I'm getting distracted from trying to stay in character becauseI'm seeing something else that I didn't notice before, everybody's just really into it and
really making it their own.
you
And it sounds like the two of you have quite the, like your characters, you spend a lot oftime together.
What's that chemistry like between the two of you?
Like how do you build off each other?
(16:35):
just the worst.
uh You know it's funny, right?
Because if you look at like Tevye and Golda's marriage from the outside, I'm sure a lot ofpeople can relate.
Is it good?
Is it challenged?
Is it oh affectionate?
Right?
I mean, we're dealing with a lot of the norms of that time, right?
(16:58):
We're dealing with a lot of the perhaps constraints of the traditions and how they wouldinteract, right?
But I think that there's an arc for us too in this story, right?
There's even a song called Do You Love Me?
m
Right?
That Tevye and Golda sing to each other.
But they're asking each other an honest question, do you love me?
(17:20):
And they've been married for 25 years already at that point.
Right?
So asking that question, it's like, have you asked this question of each other before?
I don't think so.
Well, I mean, if you think about it, they were in arranged marriage, which comes up, andthen they had five kids, and he works all day, he's out of the house all day long, she's
(17:44):
at home managing these five children.
I mean, it seems like their life started before they even had a chance to ask, do I likethis person?
And even if the answer is no, guess what, sister, this is your husband.
You know, don't have a choice.
So maybe sometimes I wonder if they ever even thought about that, till that moment, Tevyesays, do you love me?
(18:07):
Because it's so tradition and business and keep your life afloat for them.
He's got to work all day to feed the family.
She's got to work on the house and in the barn all day to keep everything running.
And you almost wonder if they kind of live a parallel life.
And it makes you think about it too, because back, you you said early 19th century,correct?
For the story?
(18:29):
1900, sorry.
ah But like, love was not necessarily something that you always factored into things likethat.
I mean, even my grandma would say that she married my grandpa for comfort, not necessarilyfor love.
Like, and like that sounds cruel, but that was kind of what life was back then.
Sure.
Sure.
married when they were 15, 16.
(18:49):
I mean, and so there's not, they're living life.
They're having to do what life is and love's not always something that factors into that.
Alexa, how has the show challenged you as an actor?
First of all, uh acting alongside, I'm just gonna like cut to the chase.
I am a mother, I am a nurse, I have no formal acting training and coming into it andseeing that I have scenes with Patrick, sorry Patrick, I'm gonna use you, and he is so
(19:20):
talented and he is so trained and I just look at him and I'm like.
have to step up my game.
I have to.
So it's really, we want to be more prepared, which I don't know how weird this sounds, butit makes me want to be more prepared.
It makes me step up my game because I feel like it is a privilege to be across fromsomebody like Patrick that, you know, has done this professionally and has training and is
(19:46):
so talented.
And it's very,
I was really nervous when we first started working on this because I've seen Patrick andother things and his reputation precedes him as being this great person to be around.
And so I was nervous.
And then I realized he's such a good scene partner that no matter what I do...
he will help me through it or he will counter and make it work.
(20:09):
So really I came in so nervous and now I'm like, well, I feel safe when I'm on stage withhim.
So it's really made me do a lot of, I'm sorry, my cat is climbing right up on them.
It really makes me want to be a better scene partner to other people going forward becauseof what I've learned and I've seen off of Patrick.
(20:31):
I don't know if that answers your question.
No, that's perfect.
But also I do not want to downplay, you are an exceptional actress.
Like you've done, I've seen you before.
Truly, like phenomenal.
Like I said, I've seen you in Fun Home and you blew that show out of the water.
And so we're not going to discount that.
But also I know what you're talking about with Patrick.
Cause when I watched him do guys and dolls, like the rehearsal, he could slip in and outof character so quickly.
(20:54):
And I was like, man, I would need like three minutes to like ramp up to get ready.
And he would just be like that and just in and out.
Like, so not.
honestly.
I love working with him.
stop.
It's all my psychological deficiencies, Brian.
That's what it is.
uh But yeah, thanks, man.
Let me get your number.
(21:16):
know, Brian, Alexa is not giving herself enough credit, right?
What is interesting to me, you know, and I have, I've been blessed that I've had thechance to work professionally and work in different theaters around the country and in
Michigan.
When I think of why I like to do shows at Nicely, right?
(21:38):
It's not just bowling league theater, right?
This is more, this is bigger, this is an experience, and this is an experienced group.
You've got people like Alexa who this is their sixth Nicely show.
You've got people like Alexa who sings like an angel, right?
And who's up there as sort of a stalwart member of this group, right?
(22:04):
This wouldn't be possible without Alexa, right?
And some of the other really, really talented folks we have.
you I think about like, would somebody wanna come see Fiddler on the roof for maybe the20th time, right?
I think it's this theater, it's this group of people in West Bloomfield that isprofessional grade, right?
(22:27):
And Alexa, you're not giving yourself enough credit, but I could talk about you for a longtime.
I could talk about some of our other cast members.
This is the group.
Right?
This group, this cast, this theater, right?
They bring together a really quality experience and one that I don't think people wouldwant to miss.
(22:49):
It's definitely, as it's coming and stuff, it's like an event.
It's the same as when a tour comes into town.
Nicely does, their productions are gigantic.
They're big.
They speak to the quality of the people who are on stage.
Patrick, how has this show challenged you as an actor?
(23:10):
Not made you as an actor.
You know what it is for me?
I've done many shows in all kinds of varieties, Shakespeare musicals, plays, all of it,contemporary, classical.
What I think is always a challenge is oh a vehicle like this one, where you've got to stepon the gas from the beginning and drive it to the finish, right?
(23:37):
This story is one where, you know, Alexa and I barely get to leave stage, right?
We're always in the
in whichever scene is happening, whether it be in the village or whether it be inside thefamily home, in our yard, whatever it is.
So the challenge for me is finding what is that arc, that journey, what are the ebbs andflows of the energy throughout, and how can I bring something that's authentic, that's
(24:06):
real, right?
But also something that is entertaining.
You know, so one of the things that, Alexa's really good at this, right?
One of the things that I always have to challenge myself to do is, okay, where can this bea moment of levity?
Where can this be a moment of acknowledging something that is maybe outside of what I,Patrick, see and what I get for free as an actor?
(24:33):
Where do I sort of dive in and find a little bit more of the comedy?
Find a little bit more of the hope, right?
Because otherwise, this is a dirge, right?
And nobody wants that.
Nobody wants to see a slow drawn out fin around the roof.
They want it to be fun, punched up, exciting, passionate, know, tense.
(24:54):
And that's what I hope this is.
But it has also been the biggest part of the challenge, I think.
You know, I will say that I definitely thought it was a little more of a heavier storyuntil I saw that preview for it.
I was like, they're all happy and dancing.
What's going on here?
Because again, no idea of what's going on.
So, but I was just like, in my head, I had a picture, like, you know, the only song Ithink that I know from this, Papa Can You Hear Me?
(25:18):
And I'm like, that's a slower song.
So like, maybe the show is, it's not, no, see, this is, this is why.
ah
you run the box seat babes and you don't know Fiddler on the roof.
Listen, this is where my grandmother failed me.
We watched sound and music way too many times apparently.
It's both Barb or Streisand, right?
(25:42):
No, no, no, but Alexa is our own Barbra Streisand.
So there you have it there.
No, songs like Sunrise Sunset, If I Were a Rich Man, uh Matchmaker, that one.
You know it.
You know it.
Yes, Mrs.
Donfire.
(26:03):
That's, I mean, he's basically Yenta in the Matchmaker in that song.
uh
I were a rich man?
Um, maybe?
The Gwen Stefani cover perhaps?
Right?
Yeah.
Fiddler on the roof before I come in and s-
spoilers!
Don't see it till you see it at nicely now.
(26:24):
perfect then I've already made a fool of myself multiple times about knowing things hereapparently.
uh
too, not to derail, but when I was in San Francisco, and I lived there for a while, I gotto see Harvey Fierstein play this role.
Do know who Harvey Fierstein is?
Yes.
Yeah, the very, very charismatic, flamboyant actor on Broadway who talks like this, right?
(26:52):
And he played Tevye and he talked and sang exactly like that the entire time, right?
So if you can imagine the pantheon of people who have played these roles and done thisshow, right?
It is probably best that you wait, see it, right?
Because so many of their interpretations are wild.
(27:14):
different.
Harvey Fierstein, Alfred Molina, Topal in the movie, Zero Mustel, right?
They're all different, right?
So for what it's worth, Alexa's right, you should wait.
Well, good.
I will wait then and I'll see it the way it should be seen, live.
ah But speaking of the music, Alexa, what is the song that you enjoy performing the most?
(27:40):
You have to pick your favorite child here from the show.
I like this Sabbath prayer.
I think it's beautiful.
I think it's haunting.
I love everything about it.
I love the way it feels.
I love the way Tevye sings at the end.
I'm a sucker for just like a very heartfelt ballad in a minor key.
(28:04):
I don't know, I like drama and I feel like it's beautiful.
Patrick, how about for you?
I knew you were gonna ask me too.
It's so hard, Brian.
think, you know, I guess I'll go along the same lines as Alexa.
In Sunrise Sunset, there was a moment, and Dan was a phenomenal music director andconductor.
(28:31):
We were doing this with the sitzprobe, and he warned us, right, in a good way, that he wasgonna do this.
When he looks over at the orchestra as we're all singing this big choral number, right?
And he cuts them off.
And so it's just us, just our collective voices in this beautiful like zhuzhi harmony,right?
(28:53):
And it's gorgeous.
It's awesome the way we're moving together in and out of emphasizing certain syllables andcrescendoing and decrescendoing crescendoing together.
If you're a music lover,
There's gonna be some real gems here for you, right?
And I guess, yeah, that moment the other night, similar to you Alexis, it was like pinsand needles, you know?
(29:17):
Alexa, what themes from this show seem to resonate the most with you?
It's hard, I'm very much in the season of motherhood in my own life.
So I would just say the theme of kind of letting, I don't know if this is a theme, lettingyour child go and do essentially their own choice when you in your head feel like you have
(29:42):
a better plan for them.
I don't know if that's a theme, like motherhood and kind of giving your kids wings andwhether you're okay with that or not.
And do I step in?
Do I not step in?
Do I let this happen?
Which I feel like we see Tevye struggle more with than Golda in the show.
But, you know, in the end, do I really just want them to be happy?
(30:08):
Or do I have...
like a plan that I need them to stick to, which I feel like as a mom, you're always kindof weighing, do I make them do this or do I let them choose or do I, I mean even smaller
things, because my kids obviously aren't of adult age to get married or anything likethat, but you know, you're always thinking, do I let them decide or do I do what I think
(30:30):
is best?
And there's a lot of those.
Oh, oh yeah.
Patrick, how about for you?
What themes really stand out to you from Fiddler on the
You know what's funny?
I'll piggyback on what Alexis said.
I'm a girl dad, right?
I have two beautiful little girls, an almost 10 year old and one that turns six the dayafter we open, right?
(30:54):
And we have our matching Taylor Swift bracelets and mine says daddy, right?
I would do anything for my girls, right?
And I know Tevye is exactly the same way.
He loves his children.
I never missed, I knew from an early age that when I had kids,
they would be girls, right?
I knew that.
And I think from my perspective, it is what Alexa mentioned, but it's almost harderbecause I don't want to be at the stage where I have to let them go.
(31:24):
I don't want to be at the age where I have to watch them start dating and getting into,and not that I'm going to be a crazy dad or anything, right?
Polishing a shotgun, but, but.
want to hold on to them.
And it's that that feeling even today driving driving home from from work for this Ithought man I just want to hold my kids tonight we don't have rehearsal tonight I can't
(31:48):
wait to just like snuggle you know and and that feeling is what Tevye feels and wants tohold on to and in some cases he's successful and in other cases he's not you know and
that's those themes again that tension is is really what
that gets me excited but also destroys me every time.
(32:14):
It's really hard.
I raised my nephew, and he's currently 16.
He's a junior in high school, and he's reached that age now where he's talking aboutcolleges and stuff.
And I'm just like, no, you're not supposed to go to college and leave here and talk aboutgoing out of state.
It does really, it hurts.
And then you're like, but this is what's supposed to happen.
And so that conflict of like, you want them to be close to you forever, but then alsothey're supposed to spread their wings
(32:37):
Yeah, and you can't be those weird people who all live on a compound.
Right?
You can't do it.
Oh, oh no, go for it.
I mean, it's going to be a beautiful compound.
One final question for both of you before I let you go.
Patrick, just what are you hoping audiences take away from this production of Fiddler onthe Roof?
Yeah, it's such a good question.
(32:58):
And I'll go back to, you know, I've heard David Carroll, the founder of Nicely, speak manytimes about why this theater, what he's hoping to accomplish with bringing an audience
together.
And I think what I hope people take away are not only...
how they relate to the themes of this story, this journey that we're all on.
(33:22):
And they're gonna relate to different characters depending who they are.
It might relate to Golda or Tevye or the daughters uh or some of the other townspeople.
But I think what I hope they walk away with is a sense of this is in my backyard.
this theater, this experience that I had, yes, this dessert reception that they do atevery show, these free photos that they have in the photo booth on site, it creates this
(33:51):
feeling of community, but it is a quality experience and one that you probably aren'tgetting unless you're going to the Fisher, right?
Or you're going to New York or Chicago, right?
So I'm really, really happy and would be, guess, thrilled
to have an audience leave saying, my god, not only was that a great show, but thatexperience, this theater is one that I've got to connect with, you know, moving forward.
(34:23):
Beautiful answer.
Alexa, how about for you?
What do you want audiences to walk away from with?
I agree with what Patrick said completely.
I think there's something kind of magical about going to see something of this quality andthinking, is that the girl that works at my hair salon?
(34:44):
Is that, you know, like these people are your neighbors, they're your coworkers, they're,but then I also think the story really mirrors a lot that's going on right now in the
world.
And I'm hoping that maybe some people see some of the themes and the messages from thisstory and will realize that maybe in some areas history is kind of repeating itself and
(35:16):
give them some food for thought without getting too deep into that.
ah I just, it's sad.
And...
It's happened and it's happening in so many communities and so many religions and so manyethnicities, same kind of storyline.
(35:38):
The broader, you know, what's happening where they live.
So I just maybe, you know, art mimics life and maybe people will see something and realizethat the same thing is still going on today.
So not only are we gonna, they're gonna be walking away with a great theatricalexperience, but maybe some thoughts on how this reflects on our day-to-day life and our
(36:02):
global world right now.
Yeah.
Well, perfect.
Thank you so much, both of you, joining me today.
It's been such a pleasure talking with you.
Thank you.
oh
Nicely Theaters Fiddler on the Roof opens October 17th and runs through October 26th, soget your tickets now and we'll see you there!
Thank you so much Alexa and Patrick for joining me today to discuss Nicely Theater'sFiddler on the Roof.
(00:04):
How are you two doing?
Great.
How are you, Brian?
doing wonderful.
How are you doing, Alexa?
I'm doing well.
Excited to talk about Fiddler on the Roof.
Yeah, cause you're just about two weeks out from opening night, correct?
That's right.
And I just had a mini heart attack.
No, I'm just kidding.
Yeah.
Very excited.
Two weeks from now.
(00:24):
Alexa, what's kind of the feeling going through your mind right now with being two weeksout from the show?
Well, I think we're at that stage where everything is starting.
It's like the rehearsals where everything is added.
Like you get some microphones, you have half a costume.
uh You know, some nights the orchestra's there, we just had our sitzprobe.
Some nights it's the piano and the violin.
So every rehearsal brings like two new things, but then takes away two things you had atthe last rehearsal.
(00:49):
So we're kind of in that weird, like getting our sea legs portion of the rehearsal processwhere...
uh
You're just waiting for everything to click and everything to be there.
Patrick, is it kind of like unsettling then when things are being like tossed in andtossed out as you're building those the show and the characters?
always right you know alexa put it best with sea legs and i've heard that many times in inall the theater that i've done right it's
(01:15):
It really does feel like you're on a boat rocking back and forth or a roller coaster.
I've heard that analogy too, right?
It's how many of these different things can we add in the layers of lighting, right?
All of a sudden you're coming out on stage and you normally look up.
have these moments where I look to God and I speak to God and there's a spotlight in yourface, right?
(01:36):
You're like, oh, oh, there's a light there now, you know, there's, there's all of thesedifferent things that you add in and uh,
and make it the production that the audience ends up seeing.
You know, I think it's interesting because you don't usually get a look behind the scenesof stuff like that.
And actually with two of your previous productions, I got to see uh rehearsals, you know.
(01:57):
So for Fun Home, you guys were kind of having like a straight run through.
ah But Patrick, when I came to Guys and Dolls for one of the rehearsals, it was very muchlike they stopped.
There was conversations.
It was like, how do we throw this in?
How do we change that?
Does this look right?
And so it's kind of interesting to see that and knowing that that's where you guys arekind of at right now.
And then...
what the finished product eventually comes out to be.
(02:19):
You know what, just to throw this in there, that's what I love about theater.
That's why it's a living, breathing thing.
Depending upon when you come as an audience member, it'll be different night to night.
And especially you seeing it during a rehearsal.
It's not all there yet, right?
It's not a finished product.
(02:39):
And even that finished product will have different iterations, right?
The more comfortable we get in the run, audiences laugh at different places every night.
Like it's a very evolving, living, breathing thing, you know?
Sorry, go ahead.
more airs in a show like Fiddler 2 than you said when I saw Fun Home, you guys werealready just running.
(03:02):
Well, what was there, five people in that cast?
Relatively low costume changes.
Fiddler on the Roof is a 19-person orchestra, huge dance numbers.
You've got multiple vocal parts.
You have a huge ensemble.
So I feel like the layers, the more bodies you add and the more long-term of a story youhave to tell,
(03:24):
the more layers you add it just kind of makes it so you can't just get up and go as easyas the five people shows, the five person shows.
I was gonna say, just from the previews that I've seen of Fiddler on the Roof, this is ahuge show.
Like that stage is filled with people pretty much the entire, what they're showing theentire time.
Yeah, it's intense in a good way.
(03:45):
So with the show itself, as I stated prior to us recording, uh while I've been passionateabout theater my entire life, I don't know what Fiddler on the roof is.
So Alexa, I was kind of hoping if you could tell us a general gist of the story andPatrick jump on in whenever you have bits and pieces to add to it.
I think the simplest way, and I think you're gonna get a lot of backlash from saying thatyou've never seen it, because I feel like people who like Fiddler like it so much that
(04:15):
they're very aggressive about it.
So you might be hearing some stuff about never seeing it.
ah It's a very conservative Jewish family back in what time period is this?
Patrick, me.
Early 1900s.
Yeah.
So he has five daughters and he starts the show talking about like our whole lives aretradition.
(04:37):
This is how we live.
This is how we work.
This is how we eat.
This is how we dress.
And then each one of his daughters, as you go through the show, kind of does somethingthat makes Tevye, and I don't want to give anything away because you haven't seen it.
Everybody else is like, you can't spoil Fiddler on the roof.
That's everybody's favorite.
ah Each one of his daughters does something that makes him question how far can he deviatefrom his tradition and still be himself.
(05:01):
and still be, you know, this devout Jewish man in this community.
But it's just kind of showing how the world is changing around them, I think.
But I'm not Tevye.
I mean, I'm not playing Tevye.
He's trying to still hold on to his beliefs and his traditions, although everything aroundhim is shifting.
I don't know.
Patrick probably has a better take on it since he's...
(05:22):
know.
think from, Alexis said it very well, I think really what interests me and what I thinkthe audience, inevitably about a show like this, is that it's so relevant to all of us.
No matter where you come from, your way of life, it's that sort of push-pull, that tensionbetween what is my status quo now, the traditions, my daily life, what I do in and out of
(05:52):
every
day and what happens to me, to my village, my family, my people, what happens when thoseways of life are challenged or changed, whether by in good ways or horrendous ways, right?
um
I mean, obviously this is a traditionally Jewish story, and I think even when the moviecame out, I don't know what year it was, but I'm assuming it was in the 60s, right, when
(06:20):
the movie came out, nobody thought it would do well because they thought it was too Jewishof a story, right?
That's not true at all.
People in Japan.
are now doing this musical and saying, no, no, no, no, this is a Japanese story.
We relate to this.
This is very close to home for the way we live and our traditions and our way of life,right?
(06:48):
So I've always found that very interesting, that push pull, that tension between what isnow and what is coming, what we'll do, you know?
It really kind of is that timeless tale of just like living up to like parents andexpectations and family and heritage and stuff like that, that does kind of cross any kind
(07:09):
of boundaries.
know, this is things that I still as a psychologist hear people talking about today, nomatter what, you know?
So I think that that is why it kind of stands that test of time.
uh So were you two familiar with this?
And I'm the only one that wasn't familiar with the story prior to it.
You might be the only one in the world that was not, no, just kidding.
(07:31):
When did, Alexa, when did you, did you know the movie growing up like I did?
didn't know the movie, but I had seen...
various school and community theater productions and pretty much knew all the musicbecause my whole life I've only listened to show tunes, not popular music.
So that's kind of one of those things that you stumble upon when you're younger trying tofind new shows.
(07:52):
You know, somebody will tell you, I remember actually my cheerleading coach from middleschool was getting married and she was like, I want Sunrise Sunset sang at my wedding.
Alexa, were you singing it for me right now?
And I didn't know it.
And her and her mother sat there in the gym and sang me Sunrise Sunset and tried to teachme it right there.
that's when I went, think my mom bought me the CD then after that.
And I learned it, and she's coming.
(08:13):
So she reached out to me on Facebook and said she was coming, which I thought was funny.
I said, well, you're the one that introduced me to this show.
But I've seen Community Theater and high school productions and stuff like that.
I've probably seen it five, six times.
But I did not watch the movie until I got in this production.
So, okay, so being the only one here that hadn't seen it, what Patrick really drew you towanting to audition for this show?
(08:40):
You know, I think for me, I'm drawn to roles, yeah, this may be sacrilegious for me tosay, especially in front of Alexa, who grew up only on show tunes, right?
There are some musicals I'm not at all interested in doing, right?
It's like just singing and dancing and fra la la, everything's happy-go-lucky and nothingchanges.
(09:03):
Like, I'm not ever interested in doing Bye Bye Birdie ever, ever, right?
No offense to anybody who likes that show, right?
What I like about this show is that there's such a uh shifting dynamic throughout, right?
There's a range of emotions, a range of scene work to do.
(09:24):
I get to be funny, I get to be distraught, I get to deal with the emotions that a parentdeals with with their children.
I won't give anything away, but it's a challenge, right?
This is gonna sound so pretentious, so I apologize in advance, right?
I listened to Alfred Molina, an interview that he did, because he was playing it onBroadway several years back now.
(09:49):
And the interviewer said to him, this is kind of like the King Lear of musical theater,right?
And Alfred Molina was like, yeah, I'm glad you said that, not me.
But in essence, this is one of those Mount Rushmore roles for an actor in musical theater.
And I've always been interested, I've loved it and I'm thrilled that I get to have a crackat it.
(10:13):
It sounds like these really are complex characters and stories that are going throughhere.
Alexa, what really drew you in?
It sounds like you had, you you heard about this through one of your teachers.
Was that kind of like this love from that point on that really drew you to wanting toaudition?
No.
You
(10:35):
I appreciate the honesty.
You're like, absolutely not.
First and foremost, I am a sucker for Nicely Theater.
I have done six shows with them.
Well, this is my sixth.
And um I really like the environment.
I really like the production crew.
I really like the quality.
I feel home there.
um Being a woman that is coming into her middle-aged part in life, know, dream roles startchanging.
(11:03):
And you start thinking like...
I'm not playing the ingenue anymore, what roles are out there.
And I'm sorry, but Golda is like one of those top roles for a woman like 40 and up.
So that's kind of been on my radar.
So when it popped up and it was Fiddler on the roof, I had a minute and I was like, I amready to transition.
so I went out for this, you know, role and I was on the younger end of the age descriptionwhen they were casting, but the music is so good.
(11:31):
I'm a big sucker for music and...
I don't like dancing, I don't like things like that, but I love like strong, thickharmonies and I just feel like the music in Fiddler on the Roof, especially in our sits
part, we have a 19-piece orchestra.
And just the first beginning of tradition, I had like full body goosebumps and theneverybody started singing and I was like, crap, I have to sing too.
(11:55):
So it's like one of those iconic scores.
Like I would say I'm a singer first and foremost that I, you can't pass that up.
if you have an opportunity to do it and then do it with the ones you love, Nicely andFiddler.
No, I can't pass that up.
And truly, you know, the environment of a theater and who you're with is one of mostimportant pieces here because you could do any show anywhere, but if it's not with
(12:17):
somebody that you trust and you care about and invest into you as much as you invest intothem, then it's not worth it.
It makes all the difference, it really does.
um And so this also sounds like, Alexa, this is like a very transitionary period for youwhere you're like, okay, this is if I'm going to accept a role into this next stage of
acting, this is it.
Yeah, I am now into my mom era.
(12:40):
My mom and grandma era.
As it goes for female, you know, community theater actors.
So speaking of who you're playing in the show, Alexa, who are you in the show and thenwhat's kind of their narrative while not spoiling too much of the show?
am Golda.
I am Tevye's wife.
I am the mother to his five daughters.
(13:03):
I would like to say I'm the backbone of the house, but Tevye might feel differently.
kind of keep the show on the road.
I keep him on the straight and narrow.
Keep him honest about his time constraints as he goes through his days and the things Ineed from him.
Try to keep the family together.
(13:25):
Yeah.
roll.
I aren't all women kind of like that though?
I feel like I relate a lot.
Yes.
Yeah.
They had a debriefing just minutes ago.
Patrick, who are you playing in this show?
(13:47):
I'm playing Tevye and Tevye is, I guess I should just introduce him as Golda's husband isreally how I should introduce him.
oh The father of five daughters, right?
oh The milkman, the dairyman to this local Jewish village, this community, right?
And he's salt of the earth, right?
(14:08):
I think he aspires to be rich.
But but not to be a jerk, but to get to do the things that he loves the most.
He wants he wants things for his family.
He wants things for gold.
Right.
He wants things uh in terms of his relationship to God and his ability to dive into thatrelationship a bit a bit more with ease.
(14:32):
Right.
uh Wealth equals ease.
Right.
He's a working man.
pulls a cart.
His horse is lame.
He has to pull this milk cart through the village.
right, all of the accoutrements, right?
you know, he's...
The journey Tevye goes on is one of a lot of like figuring out who he is, how he relatesto the tradition, how he relates to his family as it changes, as it grows, as it, I guess,
(15:03):
subtracts in some way, oh or contracts in some way, I should say.
But I think...
The journey itself, the momentum of the story really tends to be focused around thatfamily unit and how it evolves.
So it's certainly not Tevye's story any more than Golda's or the Daughters, the Daughters'Suitors, the townspeople.
(15:28):
But yeah, it's such a cool role.
It seems like it's such an ensemble piece that every person is, not that anybody isn'timportant in other shows, but this one really, you need every single piece of the puzzle
to make it work.
couldn't agree with that more.
And you'll see those people, right?
The matchmaker, the butcher, the rabbi, right?
uh The town beggar, right?
(15:51):
You'll see all of these roles as they unfold.
And everybody does such a good job bringing their character to life that it's, you know, Ikind of wait on the wings and I stay backstage a lot during runs because I like to stay
focused.
But I feel like every time I watch it, I see somebody else that I'm like, I didn't knowthey were doing that.
You know, that makes sense that that type of character would be acting like that.
(16:15):
And I feel like every time I'm getting distracted from trying to stay in character becauseI'm seeing something else that I didn't notice before, everybody's just really into it and
really making it their own.
you
And it sounds like the two of you have quite the, like your characters, you spend a lot oftime together.
What's that chemistry like between the two of you?
Like how do you build off each other?
(16:35):
just the worst.
uh You know it's funny, right?
Because if you look at like Tevye and Golda's marriage from the outside, I'm sure a lot ofpeople can relate.
Is it good?
Is it challenged?
Is it oh affectionate?
Right?
I mean, we're dealing with a lot of the norms of that time, right?
(16:58):
We're dealing with a lot of the perhaps constraints of the traditions and how they wouldinteract, right?
But I think that there's an arc for us too in this story, right?
There's even a song called Do You Love Me?
m
Right?
That Tevye and Golda sing to each other.
But they're asking each other an honest question, do you love me?
(17:20):
And they've been married for 25 years already at that point.
Right?
So asking that question, it's like, have you asked this question of each other before?
I don't think so.
Well, I mean, if you think about it, they were in arranged marriage, which comes up, andthen they had five kids, and he works all day, he's out of the house all day long, she's
(17:44):
at home managing these five children.
I mean, it seems like their life started before they even had a chance to ask, do I likethis person?
And even if the answer is no, guess what, sister, this is your husband.
You know, don't have a choice.
So maybe sometimes I wonder if they ever even thought about that, till that moment, Tevyesays, do you love me?
(18:07):
Because it's so tradition and business and keep your life afloat for them.
He's got to work all day to feed the family.
She's got to work on the house and in the barn all day to keep everything running.
And you almost wonder if they kind of live a parallel life.
And it makes you think about it too, because back, you you said early 19th century,correct?
For the story?
(18:29):
1900, sorry.
ah But like, love was not necessarily something that you always factored into things likethat.
I mean, even my grandma would say that she married my grandpa for comfort, not necessarilyfor love.
Like, and like that sounds cruel, but that was kind of what life was back then.
Sure.
Sure.
married when they were 15, 16.
(18:49):
I mean, and so there's not, they're living life.
They're having to do what life is and love's not always something that factors into that.
Alexa, how has the show challenged you as an actor?
First of all, uh acting alongside, I'm just gonna like cut to the chase.
I am a mother, I am a nurse, I have no formal acting training and coming into it andseeing that I have scenes with Patrick, sorry Patrick, I'm gonna use you, and he is so
(19:20):
talented and he is so trained and I just look at him and I'm like.
have to step up my game.
I have to.
So it's really, we want to be more prepared, which I don't know how weird this sounds, butit makes me want to be more prepared.
It makes me step up my game because I feel like it is a privilege to be across fromsomebody like Patrick that, you know, has done this professionally and has training and is
(19:46):
so talented.
And it's very,
I was really nervous when we first started working on this because I've seen Patrick andother things and his reputation precedes him as being this great person to be around.
And so I was nervous.
And then I realized he's such a good scene partner that no matter what I do...
he will help me through it or he will counter and make it work.
(20:09):
So really I came in so nervous and now I'm like, well, I feel safe when I'm on stage withhim.
So it's really made me do a lot of, I'm sorry, my cat is climbing right up on them.
It really makes me want to be a better scene partner to other people going forward becauseof what I've learned and I've seen off of Patrick.
(20:31):
I don't know if that answers your question.
No, that's perfect.
But also I do not want to downplay, you are an exceptional actress.
Like you've done, I've seen you before.
Truly, like phenomenal.
Like I said, I've seen you in Fun Home and you blew that show out of the water.
And so we're not going to discount that.
But also I know what you're talking about with Patrick.
Cause when I watched him do guys and dolls, like the rehearsal, he could slip in and outof character so quickly.
(20:54):
And I was like, man, I would need like three minutes to like ramp up to get ready.
And he would just be like that and just in and out.
Like, so not.
honestly.
I love working with him.
stop.
It's all my psychological deficiencies, Brian.
That's what it is.
uh But yeah, thanks, man.
Let me get your number.
(21:16):
know, Brian, Alexa is not giving herself enough credit, right?
What is interesting to me, you know, and I have, I've been blessed that I've had thechance to work professionally and work in different theaters around the country and in
Michigan.
When I think of why I like to do shows at Nicely, right?
(21:38):
It's not just bowling league theater, right?
This is more, this is bigger, this is an experience, and this is an experienced group.
You've got people like Alexa who this is their sixth Nicely show.
You've got people like Alexa who sings like an angel, right?
And who's up there as sort of a stalwart member of this group, right?
(22:04):
This wouldn't be possible without Alexa, right?
And some of the other really, really talented folks we have.
you I think about like, would somebody wanna come see Fiddler on the roof for maybe the20th time, right?
I think it's this theater, it's this group of people in West Bloomfield that isprofessional grade, right?
(22:27):
And Alexa, you're not giving yourself enough credit, but I could talk about you for a longtime.
I could talk about some of our other cast members.
This is the group.
Right?
This group, this cast, this theater, right?
They bring together a really quality experience and one that I don't think people wouldwant to miss.
(22:49):
It's definitely, as it's coming and stuff, it's like an event.
It's the same as when a tour comes into town.
Nicely does, their productions are gigantic.
They're big.
They speak to the quality of the people who are on stage.
Patrick, how has this show challenged you as an actor?
(23:10):
Not made you as an actor.
You know what it is for me?
I've done many shows in all kinds of varieties, Shakespeare musicals, plays, all of it,contemporary, classical.
What I think is always a challenge is oh a vehicle like this one, where you've got to stepon the gas from the beginning and drive it to the finish, right?
(23:37):
This story is one where, you know, Alexa and I barely get to leave stage, right?
We're always in the
in whichever scene is happening, whether it be in the village or whether it be inside thefamily home, in our yard, whatever it is.
So the challenge for me is finding what is that arc, that journey, what are the ebbs andflows of the energy throughout, and how can I bring something that's authentic, that's
(24:06):
real, right?
But also something that is entertaining.
You know, so one of the things that, Alexa's really good at this, right?
One of the things that I always have to challenge myself to do is, okay, where can this bea moment of levity?
Where can this be a moment of acknowledging something that is maybe outside of what I,Patrick, see and what I get for free as an actor?
(24:33):
Where do I sort of dive in and find a little bit more of the comedy?
Find a little bit more of the hope, right?
Because otherwise, this is a dirge, right?
And nobody wants that.
Nobody wants to see a slow drawn out fin around the roof.
They want it to be fun, punched up, exciting, passionate, know, tense.
(24:54):
And that's what I hope this is.
But it has also been the biggest part of the challenge, I think.
You know, I will say that I definitely thought it was a little more of a heavier storyuntil I saw that preview for it.
I was like, they're all happy and dancing.
What's going on here?
Because again, no idea of what's going on.
So, but I was just like, in my head, I had a picture, like, you know, the only song Ithink that I know from this, Papa Can You Hear Me?
(25:18):
And I'm like, that's a slower song.
So like, maybe the show is, it's not, no, see, this is, this is why.
ah
you run the box seat babes and you don't know Fiddler on the roof.
Listen, this is where my grandmother failed me.
We watched sound and music way too many times apparently.
It's both Barb or Streisand, right?
(25:42):
No, no, no, but Alexa is our own Barbra Streisand.
So there you have it there.
No, songs like Sunrise Sunset, If I Were a Rich Man, uh Matchmaker, that one.
You know it.
You know it.
Yes, Mrs.
Donfire.
(26:03):
That's, I mean, he's basically Yenta in the Matchmaker in that song.
uh
I were a rich man?
Um, maybe?
The Gwen Stefani cover perhaps?
Right?
Yeah.
Fiddler on the roof before I come in and s-
spoilers!
Don't see it till you see it at nicely now.
(26:24):
perfect then I've already made a fool of myself multiple times about knowing things hereapparently.
uh
too, not to derail, but when I was in San Francisco, and I lived there for a while, I gotto see Harvey Fierstein play this role.
Do know who Harvey Fierstein is?
Yes.
Yeah, the very, very charismatic, flamboyant actor on Broadway who talks like this, right?
(26:52):
And he played Tevye and he talked and sang exactly like that the entire time, right?
So if you can imagine the pantheon of people who have played these roles and done thisshow, right?
It is probably best that you wait, see it, right?
Because so many of their interpretations are wild.
(27:14):
different.
Harvey Fierstein, Alfred Molina, Topal in the movie, Zero Mustel, right?
They're all different, right?
So for what it's worth, Alexa's right, you should wait.
Well, good.
I will wait then and I'll see it the way it should be seen, live.
ah But speaking of the music, Alexa, what is the song that you enjoy performing the most?
(27:40):
You have to pick your favorite child here from the show.
I like this Sabbath prayer.
I think it's beautiful.
I think it's haunting.
I love everything about it.
I love the way it feels.
I love the way Tevye sings at the end.
I'm a sucker for just like a very heartfelt ballad in a minor key.
(28:04):
I don't know, I like drama and I feel like it's beautiful.
Patrick, how about for you?
I knew you were gonna ask me too.
It's so hard, Brian.
think, you know, I guess I'll go along the same lines as Alexa.
In Sunrise Sunset, there was a moment, and Dan was a phenomenal music director andconductor.
(28:31):
We were doing this with the sitzprobe, and he warned us, right, in a good way, that he wasgonna do this.
When he looks over at the orchestra as we're all singing this big choral number, right?
And he cuts them off.
And so it's just us, just our collective voices in this beautiful like zhuzhi harmony,right?
(28:53):
And it's gorgeous.
It's awesome the way we're moving together in and out of emphasizing certain syllables andcrescendoing and decrescendoing crescendoing together.
If you're a music lover,
There's gonna be some real gems here for you, right?
And I guess, yeah, that moment the other night, similar to you Alexis, it was like pinsand needles, you know?
(29:17):
Alexa, what themes from this show seem to resonate the most with you?
It's hard, I'm very much in the season of motherhood in my own life.
So I would just say the theme of kind of letting, I don't know if this is a theme, lettingyour child go and do essentially their own choice when you in your head feel like you have
(29:42):
a better plan for them.
I don't know if that's a theme, like motherhood and kind of giving your kids wings andwhether you're okay with that or not.
And do I step in?
Do I not step in?
Do I let this happen?
Which I feel like we see Tevye struggle more with than Golda in the show.
But, you know, in the end, do I really just want them to be happy?
(30:08):
Or do I have...
like a plan that I need them to stick to, which I feel like as a mom, you're always kindof weighing, do I make them do this or do I let them choose or do I, I mean even smaller
things, because my kids obviously aren't of adult age to get married or anything likethat, but you know, you're always thinking, do I let them decide or do I do what I think
(30:30):
is best?
And there's a lot of those.
Oh, oh yeah.
Patrick, how about for you?
What themes really stand out to you from Fiddler on the
You know what's funny?
I'll piggyback on what Alexis said.
I'm a girl dad, right?
I have two beautiful little girls, an almost 10 year old and one that turns six the dayafter we open, right?
(30:54):
And we have our matching Taylor Swift bracelets and mine says daddy, right?
I would do anything for my girls, right?
And I know Tevye is exactly the same way.
He loves his children.
I never missed, I knew from an early age that when I had kids,
they would be girls, right?
I knew that.
And I think from my perspective, it is what Alexa mentioned, but it's almost harderbecause I don't want to be at the stage where I have to let them go.
(31:24):
I don't want to be at the age where I have to watch them start dating and getting into,and not that I'm going to be a crazy dad or anything, right?
Polishing a shotgun, but, but.
want to hold on to them.
And it's that that feeling even today driving driving home from from work for this Ithought man I just want to hold my kids tonight we don't have rehearsal tonight I can't
(31:48):
wait to just like snuggle you know and and that feeling is what Tevye feels and wants tohold on to and in some cases he's successful and in other cases he's not you know and
that's those themes again that tension is is really what
that gets me excited but also destroys me every time.
(32:14):
It's really hard.
I raised my nephew, and he's currently 16.
He's a junior in high school, and he's reached that age now where he's talking aboutcolleges and stuff.
And I'm just like, no, you're not supposed to go to college and leave here and talk aboutgoing out of state.
It does really, it hurts.
And then you're like, but this is what's supposed to happen.
And so that conflict of like, you want them to be close to you forever, but then alsothey're supposed to spread their wings
(32:37):
Yeah, and you can't be those weird people who all live on a compound.
Right?
You can't do it.
Oh, oh no, go for it.
I mean, it's going to be a beautiful compound.
One final question for both of you before I let you go.
Patrick, just what are you hoping audiences take away from this production of Fiddler onthe Roof?
Yeah, it's such a good question.
(32:58):
And I'll go back to, you know, I've heard David Carroll, the founder of Nicely, speak manytimes about why this theater, what he's hoping to accomplish with bringing an audience
together.
And I think what I hope people take away are not only...
how they relate to the themes of this story, this journey that we're all on.
(33:22):
And they're gonna relate to different characters depending who they are.
It might relate to Golda or Tevye or the daughters uh or some of the other townspeople.
But I think what I hope they walk away with is a sense of this is in my backyard.
this theater, this experience that I had, yes, this dessert reception that they do atevery show, these free photos that they have in the photo booth on site, it creates this
(33:51):
feeling of community, but it is a quality experience and one that you probably aren'tgetting unless you're going to the Fisher, right?
Or you're going to New York or Chicago, right?
So I'm really, really happy and would be, guess, thrilled
to have an audience leave saying, my god, not only was that a great show, but thatexperience, this theater is one that I've got to connect with, you know, moving forward.
(34:23):
Beautiful answer.
Alexa, how about for you?
What do you want audiences to walk away from with?
I agree with what Patrick said completely.
I think there's something kind of magical about going to see something of this quality andthinking, is that the girl that works at my hair salon?
(34:44):
Is that, you know, like these people are your neighbors, they're your coworkers, they're,but then I also think the story really mirrors a lot that's going on right now in the
world.
And I'm hoping that maybe some people see some of the themes and the messages from thisstory and will realize that maybe in some areas history is kind of repeating itself and
(35:16):
give them some food for thought without getting too deep into that.
ah I just, it's sad.
And...
It's happened and it's happening in so many communities and so many religions and so manyethnicities, same kind of storyline.
(35:38):
The broader, you know, what's happening where they live.
So I just maybe, you know, art mimics life and maybe people will see something and realizethat the same thing is still going on today.
So not only are we gonna, they're gonna be walking away with a great theatricalexperience, but maybe some thoughts on how this reflects on our day-to-day life and our
(36:02):
global world right now.
Yeah.
Well, perfect.
Thank you so much, both of you, joining me today.
It's been such a pleasure talking with you.
Thank you.
oh
Nicely Theaters Fiddler on the Roof opens October 17th and runs through October 26th, soget your tickets now and we'll see you there!
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