PHOTO BY BOB ROCHE
Tevye, played by Jack Barker, performs “If I Were a Rich Man” during “Fiddler on the Roof Jr.” at Marblehead Community Charter School.
BY GAYLA CAWLEY
MARBLEHEAD — Marley Sullivan starting acting just three years ago, now she’s one of the stars in her school’s production of “Fiddler on the Roof Jr.”
Sullivan, 14, an eighth grader at Marblehead Community Charter School, said her aunt is involved in theatre and told her that she should try acting.
“She inspired me to start plays,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan plays Yente, the gossipy village matchmaker, a role she wanted because the character is funny, one of her strengths. Since another student dropped out, she also plays Fruma-Sarah, Lazar Wolf’s deceased wife, a wealthy village butcher.
She plans to continue theatre in high school.
“In fifth grade, I used to get bullied a lot so it was like a retreat for me,” Sullivan said.
The play is set in Russia and centers on Tevye, the milkman and his five daughters, who tries to hold onto his Jewish faith and its culture as outside influences interfere. Tevye tries to marry off his daughters while seeking to protect them and his way of life from a changing world.
Jack Barker, 14, an eighth grader, plays Tevye. He enjoys singing and saw the play as a way to perform. He didn’t audition specifically for the role.
“Music is my passion, not theatre,” Barker said. “It’s just a way for me to get in touch with music.”
He doesn’t plan to continue theatre, but is interested in joining the high school’s a cappella group. Barker said he is looking forward to the thrill of performing in the play and is not nervous.
Emme Lovenburg, 14, an eighth grader, plays Tevye’s wife, Golde. She started performing at 10. She used to like singing, mostly in the shower. Despite her youth, Lovenburg auditioned for the part because she’s played mother roles before and has an instinct for it.
Lovenburg is looking forward to the tradition before the performance when all actors in the company do warm-ups and sing songs in their pajamas. She expects to be nervous before getting on stage.
“I get stage fright, but once I’m on stage, it usually just falls into place,” she said.
James Curcione, theatre director, said the program does two musicals annually, along with smaller, cabaret performances. The company is comprised of 29 students, with 20 cast members. The charter school’s production opened on Friday and continues through the weekend at the school’s gymnasium.
He said Fiddler represents a more mature play for students, as the age group usually acts in fairy tale or cartoon-inspired ones like the production of the “Lion King.”
“It’s such an iconic part of the American stage that it’s great exposure for them,” Curcione said.
Gayla Cawley can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley
