Broadway fiddles into Pittsburgh

‘ ‘ ‘ Not every actor can weather life on the road. The same should be said about stuffed… ‘ ‘ ‘ Not every actor can weather life on the road. The same should be said about stuffed animals. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Unfortunately for Rena Strober, who plays Tzeitel in the touring Broadway production of ‘Fiddler on the Roof,’ which opens in Pittsburgh tonight,’ her beloved polar bear Snuffles couldn’t make the trek ‘mdash; Strober lost the stuffed bear somewhere in transit between Wilmington, Del., and Providence, R.I.. Strober called The Pitt News during her day off in Providence, while looking for both a Laundromat and Snuffles. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘This is worse than losing my wallet, which I’ve already done once,’ said Strober. ‘I guess Snuffles didn’t want to tour.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Really, neither did Strober. The New York native is much more comfortable near friends and family. But she couldn’t refuse when she was offered the role of Tzeitel, the oldest daughter of tradition-loving father Tevye, for the 20-city tour that runs well into August. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ It was this Tony Award-winning musical about a Jewish father in 1905 Russia struggling to reconcile tradition and change, after all, that put Strober onstage in the first place ‘mdash; at 8 years old, she was singing the show at a Jewish summer camp in upstate New York, and then to her parents in their living room. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ This year’s tour production, though, is a far cry from the bright lights of the Catskills. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ First, there’s the inclusion of 73-year-old Chaim Topol starring in the role that made him famous. The 1971 film version of ‘Fiddler on the Roof,’ which was nominated for Best Picture and Best Lead Actor (for Topol) Oscars, launched the Israeli actor to stardom. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The more dramatic change, though, comes in the sheer size of the production ‘mdash; for each city’s eight performances, the sets are transported in seven semi-trailer trucks along with the cast and crew of more than 60 people. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The veritable traveling shtetl will touch down in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night for a string of performances at the Benedum Center, and though Strober’s never been to Pittsburgh, she has an idea of what to expect. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Every city is proud of something, like the first rubber band being discovered there. You learn something about each city as we get to explore,’ she said. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Each day’s exploration of her in-residence city has proved quite the adventure ‘mdash; ‘Mostly malls and movie theaters,’ she said. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ But the real journey for Strober began with a sudden and unexpected shove onto a Broadway stage. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Moving to Los Angeles after graduation from Skidmore College in New York, Strober skipped the usual TV and film casting calls and was soon on the touring Broadway production of ‘Les Miserables’ before performing in ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ in Sacramento. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ When a cast member of the actual Broadway production became ill, Strober got the call and was quickly back in New York on her first Broadway stage. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Strober has since appeared in a handful of Broadway and off-Broadway productions, was a featured dancer in the movie ‘Coyote Ugly’ and wrote and produced her own one-woman show, ‘Spaghetti and Matzo Balls,’ an ode to her split Jewish-Italian background. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ But now back on tour with her first show, it seems ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ is as much a part of Strober as she’s been a part of it. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Tzeitel, said Strober, brings out qualities she sees in herself. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘[Tzeitel] knows what she wants and goes after it, but respects tradition. That’s dead on with me. I love my Jewish faith and I respect it so much, but I do march to the beat of my own drum,’ she said. ‘But I’m not as stern as her ‘mdash; I have a lot more fun.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Part of that fun is attempting to crack into the mind of Topol, who starred in the classic movie as Tevye after Broadway legend Zero Mostel owned the role on Broadway in the mid-’60s. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I didn’t get to see Zero Mostel on Broadway, so I grew up with the movie. So to me, Tevye is Topol. It’s surreal playing the daughter of the image I saw onscreen as a kid,’ said Strober. ‘It’s great to watch him do similar interpretations of the lines from the movie but also find new ways to tell the story.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Ultimately, though, Strober is continuously drawn to ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ because of what it says about community ‘mdash; both Jewish and beyond. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It gets harder to pack up my life every week, but I feel blessed to be able to tell this story. Because of everything that goes on now in Israel, people misinterpret the Jewish culture. And this is a beautiful show that tells people where that culture comes from,’ she said. ‘Everyone relates to family. Whether it’s an Indian family or a Jewish family or a Baptist family, you’ve got mothers who don’t listen and fathers who try to tell you what to do. It’s universal.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Snuffles, wherever he is, would have to agree.