This past Saturday saw the grand finale of Fiddler on the Roof, a SMUS production at the MacPherson Theatre that took several months, countless rehearsals and a ridiculous amount of behind-the-scenes work to pull off. The seats were packed, and the crowd were treated to 4 amazing shows filled with singing, dancing, acting and amazing special effects. From Bolton House, we had two representatives take up important roles in the show: Peter showcased his guitar/ mandolin skills in the pit orchestra, and Savo got into character as a solider who shows no mercy in raiding a happy wedding between two lovebirds living in the innocent village of Anatevka. Savo and Peter were both amazing, and even though they were extremely tired from striking the set and moving props late into Saturday night, they agreed to sit down on Sunday afternoon for an exclusive interview reflecting on their musical experience.
On a scale of 1-10, how tired are you after last night’s final show?
Peter: 10.
Savo: 9 – We went straight from the end of Closing Night to cleaning up the set and bringing everything back to the school, so we didn’t get back to the boarding house until almost 1 o’clock in the morning..!
What made you want to get involved with Fiddler on the Roof?
Savo: Partly, it was the fact that my friend Hugo told me to join and I said yes. At the same time, Mr. Collett needed a few rugby players who could play the Russian soldier parts and also look intimidating. It was a relatively small role, but it was a huge commitment.
Peter: I was in the pit orchestra for last year’s show, SMUS Revue, and I enjoyed that experience so I decided to get involved again this year. This year’s show was also interesting in that I had the chance to play both the guitar and the mandolin.
What was your main highlight from the show?
Peter: For the last show on Saturday night, my guitar decided to stop working so I had to play the mandolin for every single piece. It was super stressful, but it also allowed me to get creative and even do a little bit of improvisation which was pretty exciting.
Savo: Definitely getting to (fake) beat the wedding guest to the ground and (fake) kicking him while he was down.
If anyone is on the fence about getting involved with the musical next year, what advice would you give them?
Savo: I had a pretty different idea of what the musical was like before I actually got involved. After having tried it, it’s safe to say that it is actually pretty fun. It was tiring at times, but I would definitely give it a go.
Peter: Like Savo said, it is definitely a lot of work, but the shows sound really amazing at the end. It is hours of work coming together, and you definitely feel a huge sense of pride in your collective achievement. Also, they give you lots of pizza.
Lastly, what was your favourite scene from the show?
Peter: The Bar Scene with Tevye and Lazar – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EMlwLk_h-M
Savo: If I Was a Rich Man – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBHZFYpQ6nc
Hope you enjoyed that conversation with our Bolton stars. You can also find a link to the SMUS Photo Gallery, which contains lots of great shots from the dress rehearsal. Here are a few sneak peeks!
Although the musical took centre stage this past week, there were also lots of other activities going on around campus.
Inaki joined Mr. Bell for an intense (but fun!) spin class on Saturday morning…
… while a big group of Bolton students took part in the first few rugby exhibition games of the season.
On Friday, we had a group of 40 students hop on a ferry to watch the Vancouver 7s tournament at BC Place Stadium…
… and we were also treated to an amazing Chapel performance by a day student, Juliet.
We now look ahead to the homestretch of school before we finally get to enjoy Spring Break! We will leave you with two pieces of art created by our very own Bolton Penguins, Nokia and Lucas, that were displayed at the MacPherson Theatre during musical week.
