Studio City Troupe Takes Tevye Back to His Homeland

For three weeks, Company of Characters performed its version of “Fiddler on the Roof” to nearly sold-out crowds. Not an unusual accomplishment for the Studio City-based theater troupe--except that its rendition of the 1964 musical wasn’t staged for English-speaking groups, but as part of an exchange tour to the Soviet Union.

“The people were wonderful and really reached out to the Americans. It was very heartwarming,” said participating actor Laura Ford.

In November, 35 actors left Los Angeles for Leningrad’s 900-seat Komedy Theatre to dance and sing portions of the classic tale about a poor Russian farmer. The exchange was the brainchild of Herb Mitchell and Bill Raiten.

Mitchell, 53, is a resident of Canoga Park. He also founded Company of Characters in 1989 and is its artistic director.

Raiten, who owns The New Surry Theatre in Blue Hill, Me., directed this “Fiddler” production. For the performance, he cast Mitchell as Tevye, not unlike when the two originally hooked up in 1975. Then, the young actor debuted as Tevye in Raiten’s production of the same musical in Ellsworth, Me.

Raiten’s thirst for cultural exchanges began in 1986 when he organized a group of amateur singers to perform in several Soviet cities. Between that time and 1989, Raiten played host to hundreds of Soviet actors and singers in Maine and Pennsylvania as well as organizing reciprocating productions. He also spent four months in 1989 directing two separate Soviet stage productions. And in July, Raiten used 48 Soviet actors in producing about three dozen shows throughout the United States, including one at the 450-seat Norris Theatre in Palos Verdes.

Unlike their Soviet counterparts, the American actors pay their own way, Mitchell said. For the most recent trip, air fare and accommodations added up to $1,700 per actor.

Attracting a Soviet audience for the December tour wasn’t difficult, Raiten said. Members of the Komedy Theatre worked for months to publicize the event by placing thousands of posters around Leningrad.

Each show was staged in English and simultaneously translated into Russian. Afterward, the actors mingled with theatergoers in the lobby. Gifts were given by both sides--the Americans offering nail polish, gum and aspirin while the Soviets gave flower arrangements, food or small trinkets.

“I thought it was a fascinating experience,” said Larry Lederman, who played the role of Perchik. “It was a very worthwhile trip.”

After their Leningrad stop, the troupe headed to Tbilisi, Georgia, where they were scheduled for several performances in a 200-seat venue. Political unrest caused by the resignation of the republic’s president forced the troupe’s second performance to be canceled. “I was glad I went on the trip,” said Kristin Deelane, 24, of Manhattan Beach. “But in Tbilisi, every day there was something else that went wrong. One day we didn’t have running water for eight hours so our toilets wouldn’t even flush. In Leningrad, it was so cold that even with snow boots and socks, if you didn’t keep moving your feet would become frozen. It was painful.”