The holiday season is upon us, and with it comes the time to gather as friends and family to celebrate all sorts of traditions, grand or small. What perfect timing that the Wharton Center will be welcoming its next Broadway show this week, during the nights of Hanukkah. “Fiddler on the Roof” will arrive in East Lansing Tuesday, December 4 and run through Sunday, December 9.
The Tony Award-winning musical, which first opened on Broadway in 1964, has been updated for a new generation of audiences thanks to Tony-winning director Bartlett Sher and the team behind “South Pacific,” “The King and I,” and 2017 Tony-winning Best Play, “Oslo.” The story is a celebration of family, traditions, and life itself.
Spaniard actress and singer Maite Uzal plays Golde, the wife of Tevye and mother to their five daughters. I spoke with her about the production’s updates, her personal traditions, and who introduced her to musical theatre in Madrid.
Stefanie Pohl: Growing up in Madrid, what was your exposure to musical theatre at a young age?
Maite Uzal: There’s an interest in musical theatre in Spain, specifically in Madrid, but certainly you can’t even compare it to how big it is in the States. My dad was a huge music lover in general. It was my dad who first played me “Anything Goes.” He was a great Cole Porter lover. And one of his favorites was also “Fiddler on the Roof.” I remember many, many weekends our Sunday routine was to perform “Fiddler” or “42nd Street” in the living room, and play all of the characters. I would go to every possible show with him. So that’s who is responsible for sparking my interest.
Pohl: This production of “Fiddler on the Roof” has been reimagined for new audiences. What are some of the changes audiences can expect?
Uzal: I say that our production feels more, in a way, raw. A lot of the feedback we consistently get from people who see the show is that they feel they are watching something that could be happening right now. As an audience member, you walk into the theatre and make this wonderful pact of the willing suspension of disbelief. This “Fiddler” feels very stripped from the other larger-than-life, theatrical approaches that have been done in the past. I think this “Fiddler” is very raw and wants to stay away from adding layers of theatricality that are not necessary. That is already in the script and the music. Also, the choreography, although inspired by Jerome Robbins, has been completely revisited by Hofesh Shechter. A lot of people point out how it’s very different, and wonderful. But then again, the show is always going to connect to new generations and all generations. That’s precisely what the show is about. The old ways versus the new ways. That conflict will continue to happen, no matter what period of history we’re at.
Pohl: What was the process like for you in getting cast in “Fiddler on the Roof” as Golde?
Uzal: Initially I submitted online — there are a couple of websites that actors browse to see what jobs are out there and you submit your materials. I got an email asking me to tape some lines and sing the duet “Do You Love Me?” I did that, and then I got some notes on my audition. I sent back another tape, and got an email to go in person for the final callback. That was in New York City in front of the creative team, and later I got the call with the offer. I was in Spain at that time, because I took a little vacation after my audition. That’s how I got the part.
Pohl: I bet you had a great celebration in Spain when you got that call!
Uzal: Yes it was, it was indeed. Actually when I got the call, they offered me the job and I was like, “Oh! Um, sure!” Two weeks later I had this big explosion, but at the time I wasn’t even processing the reality of what was happening. To this day, every time that I go on stage, I have to remind myself how happy I am especially as a Spaniard. Who would have thought I would be in Wisconsin right now, and next week in East Lansing. How wild is that?
Pohl: As a cast, what is it like working together, and do you have any traditions?
Uzal: It’s interesting because I personally didn’t know anyone of the actors I was going to work with. Some of our cast members knew each other from previous tours or productions. So far, there is a great camaraderie. With how the tour is structured — once we got past the opening and very tight rehearsal process — it gives you a lot of freedom to be with your cast mates and do different things. In this tour so far, we haven’t developed a ritual as a cast, but also each actor has their things they do and you want to be respectful of that. But backstage, I have to say that we don’t just walk out of a scene and become different people. There’s always a comment or a look, and we’re all aware of how a scene went. We feel out how everyone is doing. Like Tevye says in “Tradition,” “among ourselves, we always get along perfectly well.”
Pohl: What is your ritual as you prepare for a show?
Uzal: I definitely have to work out. I try to do a lot of yoga or hit the gym before the show, because it requires a lot of stamina. I try to eat healthy, but sometimes being on tour can throw things off. As a pre-show ritual, right before I go on stage, I’m either pacing back and forth or jumping, like boxers do in the ring. I feel like I’m going to go into the ring and that keeps me on my toes. I also have to go through my text, and I think I’ll never get rid of that. I have to go through my lines before every show at some point, just a quick scan. And I cross myself before I go on stage.
Pohl: What are you hoping audiences will take from this production?
Uzal: I hope that they walk out of the theatre remembering to celebrate life, and to celebrate tradition, whatever that might be for them. I hope they walk out whistling and singing the tunes of the show, because that’s also why it’s a classic show.
See Maite Uzal and the cast of “Fiddler on the Roof” at the Wharton Center, December 4-9. Click here for show and ticket information.