Fiddler On The Roof Character Review: Perchik

*Warning: This post contains spoilers in regards to the narrative and characters from the musical Fiddler On The Roof. Read at your own risk if you have not seen the movie or any of the stage adaptations.

There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.

In this series of weekly blog posts, I will examine character using the characters from Fiddler On The Roof to explore how writers can create fully dimensional, human characters that audiences and readers can relate to.

Revolutions are usually not started by the elder generation who are sometimes content to rest on their laurels and let life go on. Revolutions are usually started by young people who are idealistic, angry and willing to use their voice to fight against what they feel is an injustice. These young people are also the ones who are trying to shake the dust of off their elders and show them that the world is changing.

In Fiddler On The Roof, the idea of revolution is represented by the character of Perchik. Perchik is a young man who has come to Anatevka to shake the denizens out of their doldrums. Idealistic, modern and outspoken, Perchik does not exactly get along with his new neighbors, but Tevye is willing to give Perchik a chance. Perchik starts tutoring Tevye’s youngest daughters and starts on a Beatrice and Benedick relationship with Hodel, Tevye’s second eldest daughter.

Eventually Perchik gets up the courage to propose to Hodel, even though is not the most conventional of proposals. But before they can wed, Perchik is caught up in trouble and is sent to Siberia.

To sum it up: one way to see change in a character or a narrative is to introduce the idea of revolution, whether it is social, cultural or financial. The writers wisely used Perchik to represent the wider revolution that would engulf the world in Fiddler On The Roof as a whole. For a writer, it is more about how he or she uses change rather than just the act of the change itself. The change will happen, it is just a matter of how the writer enacts the change that affects the outcome of the whole story, not just the character who represents the change.

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(((Semitism))): Being Jewish in America in the Age of Trump Book Review

It’s easy to become complacent in a democracy, especially when one feels like persecution based on race, religion or family origin is a thing of the past.

In 2016, most Americans were woken up rather harshly from their complacency when Donald Trump won the Presidential election.

In Jonathan Weisman’s new book, (((Semitism))): Being Jewish in America in the Age of Trump, the author details how antisemitism, which has always been part of American culture, but has become more prevalent and vocal in the past few years. He explores how alt-right groups and white power groups, which has previously been pushed to the sidelines, have been given free rein to spew their hatred to the masses. Mr. Weisman ends the book, waking American Jews up from our complacency and proposes that we work together with other disenfranchised Americans to stop the hate and prejudice from taking over.

This book, if nothing else, is a wake up call.  While the author is speaking to his coreligionists, he is also speaking to anyone who is part of a group who is hated and/or disenfranchised.  We need to stand up together. Prejudice in America is not mere a topic that our parents and grandparents spoke of. It is alive and well and if we don’t do something about it, we will never live up to the ideals that makes America great.

I absolutely recommend it.

 

P!nk Concert Review

There is something to be said about an artist who is still going strong as performer, nearly two decades after their first album was released.

I have been a fan of P!nk since her first album, Can’t Take Me Home, hit in 2000. Last night, I saw her perform at Madison Square Garden for her Beautiful Trauma Tour.

Combining songs from her new album, Beautiful Trauma, with songs from her previous albums, she soared above the crowed, both vocally and physically. One of my favorite qualities about P!nk is that she can jump from being a sarcastic badass to being vulnerable and emotionally open in the blink of an eye.  She sung to the audience and we loved every minute of it.

I recommend it.

P!nk will be playing tonight at Madison Square Garden. Check the website for ticket availability and showtimes. 

Throwback Thursday-Batman TV Series (1966-1968)

One of the more enjoyable aspects of art is re-interpretation.

Batman entered our cultural consciousness in 1939. In 1966, he finally was transferred from the pages of the comic books to the small screen. Lasting two years, the show starred the late Adam West as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Burt Ward as Dick Grayson/Robin.

I think the best way to view this adaptation of Batman is through the lenses of the 1960’s. While the more recent Batman films have recreated the world of the Dark Knight as dark and uneasy, there is a lightness and an a campiness to the television series that reflects the era that it was created in.

Do I recommend it? Maybe.

Throwback Thursday-Horror Double Feature-The Haunting (1999) and The Fog (2005)

The basic gist of a horror is to scare the audience. Unfortunately, some horror movies fail at this basic task.

In the 1999 movie, The Haunting, Dr. David Marrow (Liam Neeson) and Theo (Catherine Zeta-Jones) are part of a team whose job it is investigate the rumors of a haunted house through a sleep study. What starts out as a sleep study becomes more than they bargained for.

Six years later in 2005, The Fog hit theaters. On a small island off the coast of Oregon, a fog full of spirits has enveloped the island. Starring Tom Welling and Maggie Grace, the residents must learn of the island’s dark past and find a way to stop the fog and the spirits that dwell within it.

The problem with both of these movies is that neither holds up to the premise or the chills promised by the trailers.

Do I recommend them? Not really.