​Orchard Cove Residents Performed “Fiddler on the Roof"

Orchard Cove resident actors recently performed “Fiddler on the Roof,” transforming the ballroom into Anatevka, where Tevye the Dairyman and his wife Golde tried to find husbands for their five daughters. Orchard Cove residents Steve Straus and Nancy Nelson portrayed Tevye and Golde.

“Our cast was just a bunch of amateurs looking for some summer fun, but we put in 30 hours of scheduled rehearsals, not to mention the countless hours of people trying to master the script or commit it to memory,” said Mel Schnall, who portrayed Motel the Tailor.

The main cast was rounded out with residents Sallie Lyon as Tzeitel, Judy Cohen as Hodel, Nessa Spitzer as Chava, Barbara Mende as Yente, Paul Kilrain as Perchik, David Javitch as Fyedka, and Vic Blumenthal as Lazar Wolf. The ensemble cast included residents Steve Underberg, Joanie Streit, Joan Halperin, Murray Schnipper, Sharon Salinger, Barry Levitt, Carl Hirsch, Anita Gelfand, Sue Kilrain, Anita Brause, Judy Shapiro, Walter Winthrop, Michael Richstone, Jo Ellen Hillyer, Sheila Wolfson, Vivian Marks, Iris Salvin, Joanne Grossman, Judy Teplow, Linda Friedman, Lorraine Ackerman, Myril Sheinkopf, Phyllis Cohen, Phyllis Kahn, Van Lanckton, Claire Marshall, Alice Lanckton, and Susan Wing.

The cast's musical talents were on full display as they sang their way through numbers like "If I Were a Rich Man," "Matchmaker," and "Tradition."

“To the cast, we have come such a long way. Can you believe it? Their singing, acting, moving, and enthusiasm continue to grow, creating for me absolute bliss,” said Orchard Cove Chorus Director Cici Fougner Hunt, who directed the show alongside stage and screen actor Jared Troilo.

Triolo said he enjoyed “every second of working with this beautiful cast” and was thrilled to bring “Fiddler on the Roof” to Orchard Cove.

“Fiddler’s themes of faith, family, community, survival, and resilience continue to ring true, and are more relevant now than ever,” he said. “In a time when one’s identity can dictate their very safety and freedom, we take the lessons of Fiddler to heart: in the worst of times, we can find solace by leaning on our family, our faith, our community, and yes, our traditions!”

Following the performance, the cast presented bouquets of flowers to the co-directors and the Orchard Cove programming team of Susan Tovsky and Aysha Salam.

Schnall noted “Fiddler on the Roof” wouldn’t be complete without a fiddler, and the cast was honored to be accompanied by Michael Korn, conductor of the Sharon Community Chamber Orchestra.

The production was made possible thanks to a generous donation from the Fran Elovitz Fund to the Orchard Cove Enrichment Fund. The performance was dedicated in memory of Fran Elovitz, a longtime and active member of the Orchard Cove community who participated in chorus, served on the Scholarship Committee, knitted for Project Linus, and sponsored an annual concert and ice cream social.