Opera San Jose presents Fiddler on the Roof

Fiddler on the Roof is taking the stage in San Jose. Opera San Jose is taking on the well-known musical with a large orchestra and dozens of singers. And joining us in the studio this morning to talk about it, we are happy to welcome the two lead performers of the show. We want to welcome Eugene Brankovianu and Shanley Horvitz, who are performing in San Jose Opera's Fiddler on the Roof. So thank you for being here. Tell us how, for people who are familiar maybe with the musical version of Fiddler on the Roof, how is San Jose Opera's version different? Well, thank you for having us. First of all, an opera and a musical are very similar. There are technicalities that make them different, but what makes this production very unique is that the performers are classically trained and so we're portraying this beautiful story with a lot of depth a lot of technique but also we're really just focusing on the storytelling which is very essential in opera too yeah the story is very moving and very uh personal tell us about some of the themes well my character Tevye he has five daughters and which is a bit of an anomaly in a little 1905 Russian Jewish village where everybody else is usually a few boys and but Tevye has been blessed with these five daughters and his wife and that allows him of course already a different kind of perspective on life but as the story progresses he has to learn how to let go of certain prejudicial concepts about his own life and traditions. And that takes him down a very dramatic path, especially in act two. But he's always not far from Golda's love and her way to keep him on the right path. And it's a feast for the ears and the eyes. And for us as opera singers, because we are miked, we've been given a chance to show a vocal side of us that sometimes does not even appear. And because we have large scenes that are spoken, much like a sitcom in many cases, It presents a fabulous challenge for just for us to uncover new ground. Some of the themes you mentioned, family, tradition, letting go, did you draw on some of those from a personal standpoint when you portrayed these characters? Yes, as a Jewish American woman, for me I took the maternal role and I had inspiration from my mother, of course, and the matriarchal family side of me who hosted all the dinners, who got all everybody together in the family to keep tradition going. And for me, I think it says a lot about our cast. Our cast comes from all different backgrounds and we've created a family out of it. And through in that, we have given this beautiful production. A taste of people, of traditions that we're meeting in today's world, you know? And I think that's really beautiful. Something universal we can all relate to. Yeah. I was born in Romania, in Eastern Europe, so very close to very much the area where Anatevka, or Fiddler on the Roof, takes place. And so when this project came to me, it fit like a glove, as one of our character model, the tailor, says, fits like a glove. And it took me by surprise tremendously where I felt at times I'm not really acting. I'm just emoting the words and it all falls into place. What do you hope audiences experience or take away from the production when they see it? Well it's an overwhelmingly beautiful show. The music is absolutely timeless and it's existed ever since the mid-60s so it's it has seen several generations of zeitgeist moving past itself and constantly reinventing itself but because we have this beautiful symbiosis of dance and lighting and set singing acting full orchestra so you have all the elements to bring it to life in in a way as if imagine if you had a lobster dinner and it's still alive and it's coming at you and going eat me. You can become engrossed in it. Tell us how long the show runs for through the end of this month. Well, we have our opening night on Sunday, November 15th, and it runs till November 29th. That's right. And out of the five performances, four of them, including opening day, are matinee performances, which is perfect to bring the whole family, bring your children. The one evening performance is Friday the 20th. And if you go to operasanjose.org, you will find ticket information Thank you very much. Well, without further ado, let's give our audience a sample of that beautiful music you referenced. Do you love me? I'm your wife! I know. But do you love me? Do I? For 25 years! I've washed your clothes, cooked your meals, cleaned the house, given you children, milked the cow. After 25 years, why talk about... The first time I met you was on our wedding day. I was scared. I was shy. I was nervous. So was I. But my father and my mother said we'd learn to love each other. And now I'm asking, Golden, do you love me? I'm your wife. I know. But do you love me? Do I love him? Well. For 25 years. I lived with him, fought with him, starved with him, 25 years my bed is his, if that's not love, then love me, and I suppose I love you too.