When Warren Kimmel agreed to play Tevye in Royal City Musical Theatre’s Fiddler on the Roof, he knew he was following in the footsteps of the defining performance: Topol in the 1971 movie version.
Kimmel says it’s one of the few performances he’s seen where he can’t second-guess any of the decisions made by the original performer.
“This one, I think, he got it just right.”
That having been said, Kimmel says, there’s no point in him trying to deliberately not do what Topol did, because Topol did everything right. Nor is there any point in him trying to be Topol, since he isn’t.
Rather, Kimmel says, he focuses on the character he’s playing.
“He’s a happy, happy guy, I must remember that,” Kimmel says, noting the milkman remains optimistic even when the world starts to crumble around him. “I need to make sure that I do that.”
The role itself is a huge one, he says, because Tevye almost never goes offstage, and he’s constantly talking (or singing, as the case may be).
“It’s technically quite a challenge,” Kimmel says.
Plus, he notes, the musical is so well written that there’s no “fat” in the dialogue.
“The lines are very carefully honed. You don’t have a lot of time to establish the things you need to establish,” he says, noting that means he has to make every word and every note count.
All of which means Kimmel has enjoyed having an extended period of time to work on the role – since Royal City Musical Theatre, being a community theatre production, has been in rehearsal for a longer period than a professional production typically would.
“There’s something nice about it because it gets into your bones,” Kimmel says. “I just want to be as prepared as I can be.”
