The curtain has come down on Royal City Musical Theatre’s recent production of Fiddler on the Roof, but the memories live on for a local businesswoman and a city councillor who made surprise appearances in the show.
Susan Cartwright-Coates and Coun. Jaimie McEvoy took to the Massey Theatre stage as “drunken Russians” on different nights during the theatre company’s recent production of Fiddler on the Roof.
“It was amazing. I had so much fun,” said Cartwright-Coates.
Cartwright-Coates, owner of Cartwright Jewelers, said Royal City Musical Theatre had a fundraising event, with Christopher Bell and McEvoy both bidding on the opportunity for a cameo role in Fiddler on the Roof in an auction. A couple weeks before the show, Bell visited Cartwright-Coates at the shop and told her he’d like her to take to the stage because of her business’s years of supporting Royal City Musical Theatre.
Cartwright-Coates has no plans to leave the jewelry business behind and take up acting, but won’t forget her moment in the spotlight. She thinks it’s a fabulous way for the theatre company to raise money for its productions.
“It was great fun. The actors made it fun for me,” she said. “Apparently this is the first time in Royal City Musical’s history that they have ever done anything like this. I am hoping our experience will allow it to happen again. It’s a great fundraiser that has no cost to the Royal City Musical Theatre.”
McEvoy took part in a full-costume rehearsal prior to hitting the stage for three scenes as a drunken Russian.
“I hammed it up a bit, encouraging arm wrestling, getting my fellow Russians to drink more, acting very drunk when walking through,” he said. “Forty-five minutes in, I was allowed back into the theatre to my seat to watch the rest of the show.”
While he enjoyed his cameo in Fiddler on the Roof, McEvoy was struck by the commitment of the Royal City Musical Theatre company and the work that takes place backstage and said it’s amazing how much goes into the productions.
“One of the more interesting bits was being backstage before the show. This is a really dedicated lot, and people might be surprised just how many people are involved and how much goes into the show. Sitting with people listening to them practise their tones with their singing voices, leaping Russian dance, and a real warmth,” he said. “I couldn’t have been treated any better.”
