Farewell to Anatevka

Sterling with Tevye (Jack Milo) from Fiddler on the Roof

Today was Sterling's last performance as the Fiddler on the Roof. He had a great show and I heard many positive comments afterward by those in attendance. One man was convinced that Sterling couldn't possibly be playing that music himself. He kept watching the pit expecting to see the violinist playing it and Sterling just going through the motions. He finally concluded that Sterling was the real deal and was impressed by his talent.

Most days, when it was my turn for carpool, I just dropped Sterling and the others off for their performance and then returned after the show to pick them up. Wanting to see the show one last time, today I stayed.

The final performance was a matinee at 2:00. Well, it was 2:00 or a little after when the artistic director and stage manager came in the theatre to find me. "Mrs. Stowell, Sterling has a bloody nose and he wants you."

Oh my. The show can't start without the fiddler.

I ran back to the green room to find a very tearful Sterling with a tissue and an ice pack on his nose. Apparently he had accidentally hit himself in the nose which is why it started to bleed. The good news is that Sterling's nose bleeds never last long. The rest of the cast were so kind and accommodating. No one seemed rushed or agitated. As I helped him settle down and get cleaned up, a few of them started chanting, "We love Sterling!" In all, the ordeal was over in a matter of minutes and the show started only about 10 minutes late.

I told Sterling that the little distraction at the start was a sign that the show was going to be awesome.

I was right.