Beverly and Ric Geist, who are husband and wife in real life, play spouses Golde and Tevye in the Fort Wayne Civic Theatre's production of “Fiddler on the Roof.” The Geists are one of five local family groups in the 34-member cast.
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They banter back and forth like two people who know each other well.
And that's just on the phone, not in character.
But that connection Ric and Beverly Geist of Fort Wayne have as husband and wife carries over as they portray the lead roles of Tevye the dairyman and his wife, Golde, in the Fort Wayne Civic Theatre's production of “Fiddler on the Roof.”
The show, which opens Saturday at the Arts United Center, truly is a family affair: The Geists are one of five family groups in the cast of 34.
“It's a win-win situation,” said Phillip H. Colglazier, the Civic's executive director, who is directing this show.
The family groups enhance the cast unity and help create the spirit needed for the show, said Colglazier, who played the role of Perchik the student in the Civic's last performance of “Fiddler” in 1997. Acting with your spouse, parent or sibling also makes for great family memories, he added.
Nostalgic play for couple
“Fiddler on the Roof,” which won nine Tony Awards on Broadway, centers around Jewish families facing change and persecution in Russia.
The dramatic musical holds a special place in the hearts of the Geists.
For Ric, it was the first play he saw as a boy, the first play he acted in during high school and the first show in which he acted as a paid professional.
He and his mother loved the show. Ric's family had lived in a largely Jewish neighborhood on Long Island, N.Y., before a job opportunity for his father brought them to Bluffton, where Ric grew up.
“I do this in memory of her,” he said of his mother.
Show brought them together
Both he and Beverly had just come through painful divorces when they auditioned for the Civic's 1997 production of “Fiddler.” He played Avram, the bookseller. She was Shaindel, the mother of the character Motel.
“We spent a lot of time together,” recalled Beverly, who became involved in local theater after moving here in 1987.
Along with hours and hours of rehearsal, cast members often went out afterward for dinner at Henry's or Don Hall's Gas House restaurants, Ric said.
“We just kind of caught each other's eye,” Beverly said. “He was kind of a pain in the butt at first,” she added, laughing.
They discovered they had a lot in common: They both are the youngest children in their families. They each have a few siblings. And they both love theater.
They married in July 2003, four months after they played Tevye and Golde in a Wells Community Theater production of “Fiddler.”
Comfort level carries over to roles
Being married makes it much easier and more enjoyable to play Tevye and Golde, the Geists said.
Their characters banter back and forth a lot in the play, and, at home, “We give each other loving grief all the time,” said Ric, the vocal music director at Bellmont High School in Decatur.
“I can take liberties with Ric I can't take with someone else,” added Beverly, a pre-certification specialist at Orthopaedics Northeast. “It is more of a comfort thing. We have good chemistry together.”
They also know the other has got their back if one forgets a line.
Having so many family groups in the cast has helped this production of “Fiddler,” the Geists said.
The play is about a community being persecuted, so the cast needs to convey a feeling of family to the audience, Ric said. Portraying those bonds seems to have come more easily with the family unity already existing among cast members.
The other family groups include father-daughter duos Randy and Becky Glander and Kent and Dana Bixler; brother-sister combo Dana and Evan Hart; and parent-son trio Steve, Deb and Nate Todd.
All family members were selected for their roles based on talent, “so they are lucky their families are multitalented,” Colglazier said.
This could be their last time in roles
For the Geists, landing the lead roles in “Fiddler” “has been like coming full circle” in the musical-theater world, Ric said.
As grandparents now, their opportunities for roles like Tevye and Golde are diminishing, the Geists said. They are grateful for the chance to play the leads in this production, as well as for the high level of professionalism expected by Colglazier and the Civic.
“This show is so special to us, and the Civic has been so special to us,” Ric said, “ … it probably is not something we will get to do again in our lifetime.”
