By Geoffrey Maingart
NYC: NY (The Hollywood Times) 7/17/23 – A delightful experience was enjoyed by all in a unique theater in Los Angeles. For those in attendance, all became a part of a July 4th celebration with one of literature’s great Broadway characters, Tevye, the milkman from Fiddler on the Roof, and the stories of Sholem Aleichem and re-imagined by actor and playwright, Tom Dugan, who wrote and stars this 85-minute one-man show about Tevye’s continuing life on the lower East side of Manhattan after escaping the pogrom in the village of Anatevka with his family after the turn of the last century.
The show is performed in the backyard of Tom Dugan’s house in Woodland Hills now known also as Dugan’s Backyard Playhouse. Twenty-five plus seats around the terrace/stage and we all represent the merchants and residents of the neighborhood listening to Tevye delight us with the stories of his life while he sets up the stage for the 4th of July parade about to pass by, led by President Woodrow Wilson. This is a special occasion as our famous milkman has just proudly received his citizenship papers. Tevye, after arriving with his locked ice cream cart and a jar of pickles promises to give us these fruits of his labor if he ever gets the icebox unlocked.
We hear a fantasy story about how he became a milkman in Anatevka many years before and how his perpetual bad luck made life difficult, funny, and tragic and inspired a continuing conversation with God. He has just received his first pay telephone and is awaiting news of the arrival of his daughter, Tseitle, at Ellis Island near the green lady (Statue of Liberty). Also arriving is his grandson Daniel who refuses to speak and nearly gets deported back until a clever trick is played by Tevya that works.
Another sad story about his daughter Shprintze is told with heartfelt sincerity. We hear surprising histories of the other family members who we have come to adore from the musical. Tom’s performance is truly delightful and the wonderful character of Tevye becomes both more familiar and personal as the story continues. The politics of the United States and Russia take a lot of adapting and Tevye has a sense of humor that makes our history of how most immigrants use their ability to transform that time in America are both important as well as entertaining. We hear a sad tale of the Shirtwaist fire of 1911 in the garment district as well as the police riots against union strikers.
In spite of tragic events, Tevye, as in Fiddler on the Roof, always finds the strength to move forward and find a way to finally become a wealthy man or at least a successful man with his own house and business. I will not give away the story which has great meaning as my own grandparents could have been the stars of this story with one difference. They had 4 sons and a daughter instead of six daughters. But Tevye is still dealing with the meaning of tradition and Tom Dugan is wonderfully brilliant as this delightful character. We hear of his horse Ulysses, of his meeting Sholem Aleichem (the Jewish Mark Twain) and some of these funny characters that we in the audience represent. All the while Tevye is converting the set into a 4th of July celebration during his conversation.
The set is simple but the presence of Tevye more than makes up for that as we all think he is speaking to each of us personally. If there ever was a musical that deserved a sequel, it is Fiddler on the Roof, which actually left the audience hanging not knowing the continuing history of that delightful family. Tom Dugan’s writing and acting is wonderful, and the play is a performance not to be missed. The show is co- directed by JP Hubbell and will soon begin a national tour in Delray Beach, Florida.
Tom Dugan has also recently performed: Wiesenthal; Tell Him It’s Jackie; The Ghosts of Mary Lincoln and Cemetery Pub. At the height of Covid, the Backyard Playhouse was born.
When one thinks of the problems in the country today and the immigration problems left for us by our last president, for this writer, we need a new infusion of talented people like we gained in the early 1900’s.
The show begins every Friday and Saturday at 8:00 PM and Sundays as 7:00 PM until the 6th of August. So, grab your wine bottle and a blanket and reserve at: [email protected]
The address will then be sent to you.
