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Robert Summers II is Tevye in a touring production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” coming to the Lensic.
Actor Robert Summers II wasn’t a father when he first assumed the role of Tevye in the musical “Fiddler on the Roof.”
“It was 1980 and I was in college,” said Summers by phone from Florida. “The second time I played Tevye was in 2008 at a dinner theater in Kansas. This is the third time I’ve played Tevye, and I’m having a great time. Today, I’m the father of two sons and one daughter. There are many things I now understand about the role that I didn’t 30 years ago.”
Summers is part of Prather Entertainment Group’s current cast of “Fiddler on the Roof,” which is being presented by the Santa Fe Concert Association March 10 in the Lensic Performing Arts Center. He was hired in December when the actor playing Tevye was injured and had to leave the show. Rehearsals started immediately after Christmas. Summers has been pounding the pavement, presenting the show eight to nine times a week, since January.
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If you go WHAT: “Fiddler on the Roof” WHEN: 7:30 p.m. March 10 WHERE: The Lensic Performing Arts Center, 211 W. San Francisco St., Santa Fe HOW MUCH: $20-$55. Call 505-988-1234 for tickets |
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“‘Fiddler on the Roof’ is about traditions,” said Summers. “Everyone has traditions ingrained in them. Times change, and traditions change. The show is about families and how parents and children relate with one another. You don’t have to be Jewish to appreciate the show.”
“Fiddler on the Roof,” with music by Jerrold Bock and lyrics by Sheldon Hamick, is based on Sholem Aleichem’s stories about Tevye the milkman. The original Broadway show opened in 1964 and won nine Tony Awards. Since the original production there have been four Broadway revivals and a 1971 film adaptation.
The show is set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. The story focuses on Tevye, the father of five daughters, and how he tries to maintain his family’s Jewish traditions during a volatile time in their lives. Tevye deals with the strong-willed actions of his daughters, who marry men who do not practice traditions in the same way that he does, as well as the edict of the Tsar of Russia who evicts the Jews from their village.
“I think a lot of people today, particularly those who have lost their homes during the past few years, understand the feeling of displacement that Tevye and his family experience in the show,” said Summers. “The message in ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ is not to lose hope. There is always hope. Tevye gets beaten by life but he never gets beaten down. He always gets up. Something is better at the end.”
Summers has enjoyed presenting “Fiddler on the Roof” to audiences throughout Florida since he joined the cast. He relishes the opportunity to share the show with children and adults who are not familiar with the story.
“I love introducing the show to people who have never seen it before,” he said. “We had a drama club in the audience the other day and they just loved it. The show is so well-written and put together and speaks to the audience on many different levels. It’s always a pleasure to present it.”
