'Fiddler on the Roof' Classic musical comes to Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — Good theatre is one of those things that seems to get overlooked in our increasingly technological world. Good theatre wasn’t in the background or overlooked last week in Moses Lake, however, as Basin Community Theatre’s (BCT) production of “Fiddler on the Roof” entertained audiences and reminded people of the valued tradition of good theatre.

“Fiddler” graced the Moses Lake High School theater stage April 5-8, giving the community plenty of chances to see the classic musical that first hit the Broadway stage in 1964.

“When I saw that Basin Community Theatre was doing ‘Fiddler’ I knew I had to make the trip over from Quincy. I was actually in ‘Fiddler’ in high school a long time ago. It’s one of those plays that never gets old, no matter how many times you see it,” Dana Ralston said after Friday night’s show.

The play gives viewers a small glimpse into the lives of the people of Anatevka, a small village in Czarist Russia, where everyone seemingly knows everyone, which gets some of the villagers into trouble every now and then. Centered around a Jewish milkman named Teyve (portrayed by Tim Cloyd), “Fiddler” tells the story of a man who is steeped heavily in Jewish tradition.

With five daughters to handle, Teyve and his wife Golde (Rebecca Dalton) enlist the help of the local matchmaker Yente (Emily Duvall) to find matches for his girls. The drama starts when Teyve strikes a deal with Lazar Wolf (Mark Roeber), the wealthy village butcher, to marry Tzeitel (Holly Peterson), his oldest daughter.

Tzeitel, much to her father’s dismay, already had her eyes, and heart, set on Motel (Clark Dalton) the local tailor. Teyve ultimately lets Motel and Tzeitel marry, only to go on to grant the same request to his daughter Hodel (Maddie Rogers), who had a romance brewing with the family tutor Perchik (Toby Black). Teyve’s traditional values are tested once against when his daughter Chava (Katie Irvin) runs off with Fyedka (Sam Roeber), who isn’t of the Jewish faith.

The production captivates the viewer with its immersion into a unique world and entertains with fully developed characters, witty banter and catchy songs.

“You know, I remember seeing this play back when I was in college. But I really don’t remember it being this funny,” remarked Linda Hollins. “I think that is what is so great about theatre. Plays are open to artistic interpretation and can be changed a little bit, but still hold true to basic plots.”

The crowd was seemingly mesmerized by Cloyd’s take on Teyve.

“I was pretty shocked, or confused really, when I looked down in the program and saw that the guy who played the lead character (Teyve) is new to theater. His timing was absolutely phenomenal and that’s not something you see everyday. I hope he continues with acting. He’s really got a knack for it,” stated Jim Coulson.

Bringing the classic tale to the MLHS stage was quite the undertaking in itself for BCT this year, as auditions had to be rescheduled because of a shortage of males in a show that features a lot of males, according to a previous Columbia Basin Herald report.

BCT has traditionally enjoyed outstanding community support in form of talented locals wanting to audition, which allows the company to pump out a show, or two, a year, typically in the musical category. Past productions include “Salute to Broadway” in 2012, “The Music Man” and “The Marvelous Wonderettes” in 2013, “Annie Get Your Gun” in 2014, “Les Miserables” in 2015 and “Shrek the Musical” and “Nunsense” in 2016.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.