We chatted to Georgia about starring in the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production of Fiddler on the Roof, which is now in previews.
Hi Georgia, what can audiences expect from this production of Fiddler on the Roof? Our Fiddler retains what defined the original show at its core, but it also manages to explode the story into 2024. It feels so timely, which I think is really a testament to our director, Jordan Fein, who has mined remarkable vitality and aliveness from such a well-trodden text. Visually, too, our designer, Tom Scutt, has gifted the Fiddler world a supreme glow up. It’s a completely beautiful, textured, crunchy design. We look genuinely amazing, if I say so myself?!
What made you want to be part of this production? So many things! I adore musicals and was in equal parts terrified and thrilled by the challenge of stepping into such an iconic show. The venue itself was also a major draw. There’s really nowhere like the Open Air Theatre, and the prospect of singing Sunrise, Sunset, outside, as the sun actually set, was undeniably lush.
How has it been working on the show so far? So far it’s been a wonderful process. The team at the helm of the show are at the absolute top of their game and the rest of the company are all outrageously good. In one way or other, I’ve been bowled over daily by the skill of people in the room, and it’s been such a treat to watch them all dance, sing, and move people to tears and to laughter with almost suspicious ease.
What do you love the most about this musical? Fiddler on the Roof is a decidedly good musical. The music is obviously brilliant, but what has surprised me about doing the show is that the book is also very very good. It’s impossibly lean, and filled with the type of one-liners that any stand-up would be proud of, while sacrificing none of the honesty or emotional resonance. It packs a real punch.
What do you think still makes Fiddler on the Roof so popular? It’s a universal story about love, family, community and politics, and the way in which those things intersect and converge. It’s also (lest we forget) a show that’s filled with absolute bangers, into all of which our Musical Supervisor, Mark Aspinall, has breathed fresh life. Within the first 20 minutes of the show we’ve whizzed from Tradition, into Matchmaker, and then straight onto If I Were A Rich Man. It’s an embarrassment of riches!
How do you see your character Hodel? Hodel is a bit of a legend, honestly. She’s headstrong and brave, and committed to putting political theory into practise. And she has a mullet?! Cool.
From your perspective how would you describe Fiddler on the Roof to someone who hasn’t seen it before? Fiddler is a classic musical for a reason. It’s a beautiful story about the ways in which we endure life’s hardships by practicing devotion, whether to other people, to community, to a cause or to something bigger and beyond ourselves. It’s a massive show, with no theatrical holds barred. In short, it’s a proper night at the theatre, under the stars at Regent’s Park. Honestly, it slaps?! Come see it!!
By Emma Clarendon
To book tickets visit: https://openairtheatre.com/production/fiddler-on-the-roof