Performance: A Light of His Own Ezra LeBank comes home with original show. Theater: Tradition! Fiddler on the Roof is summer fare for the entire family.   A Light of His Own Ezra LeBank comes home with original show. BY ARIA SELIGMANN Ezra LeBank in A Light in the Dark. July 29, 30, 31, The Lord Leebrick Theatre. Ezra LeBank graduated from South Eugene High School in 2002, is now entering his senior year at SUNY Purchase's Acting Conservatory, and is spending the summer producing and performing a play he's both written and directed. He's not wasting any time. Following on the heels of its critically acclaimed Los Angeles premiere at the Lee Strasberg Institute, A Light in the Dark comes to Eugene next weekend and will run July 29, 30 and 31 at the Lord Leebrick Theatre. LeBank, who performed throughout Eugene while he was in high school, at ACE, LCC and South, also acted professionally in Los Angeles at the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum when he was only 15. He brought this experience with him to New York and this past year, during his studies at the Acting Conservatory, he and three friends decided to form their own production company, The Lynx Company, in order to stage socially and politically conscious works. "Theater is a necessary force in society, it aims to find the heartbeat of our culture," says LeBank. He and his friends pored over scripts, looking for just the right combination of relevance, vibrancy — and viability. "We couldn't find anything for four guys to do," says LeBank, "some plays were too extravagant, with too many production demands." One morning he was sitting on the subway heading into Manhattan, reading a script and suddenly felt he "couldn't take it anymore." His epiphany came when he realized "I could do this," meaning, he could write not only a script that said what he wanted, but also write it to be easily produced. Wanting to draw on the work of Gratowsky, the breaking down of the fourth wall so that theater becomes a shared experience between actor and audience, he searched for a setting. "What setting, what place exists," LeBank wondered, where we are all connected, where there is an experience we must all share, that cannot be denied? "You can't duck out of death," he says. "It's inevitable, it's scary, you can't get out of the moment." Light in the Dark chronicles that moment as death occurs: "You don't know what's next, you have to find some purpose, some closure, some life." While LeBank says he doesn't try to answer the question of the afterlife, the play takes the actor/audience through several stages, including dealing with the politics of the present day, the poetry and the underlying need for rhythm, beat and music as a vital life force, the celebration of life, the "breaking of the shell" and finally, acceptance. "In this moment, grappling with the complexities of life, love, liberty and language itself, we give way to see the many faces of a single person in a single moment, and realize the vital importance of ourselves and the people around us." While the rest of the original cast members could not come to Eugene, LeBank has assembled a cast of local actors he's known over the years, including Jessie Hawley, Brett Close, Celina Hess, Joan Levine and himself. LeBank says he's put his heart into the production and says after the L.A. premiere, "people came out of the theater all saying this was something completely new and they were amazed it worked." Because LeBank views theater as an integral part of the community, he is contributing some of the proceeds of the show to the White Bird Clinic Crisis Center. "It's crucial to embrace those around us to develop strength and vitality so our community can thrive," he says. A Light in the Dark runs July 29, 30 & 31 at 8 pm at The Lord Leebrick Theatre. Tickets available at the door, or by calling 465-1506. $12, Stu/Srs $5. Running Time: 95 minutes       Tradition! Fiddler on the Roof is summer fare for the entire family. BY SHARLEEN NELSON LCC presents its Lane Summer Musical Theatre production of Fiddler On the Roof, the classic stage musical based on the stories of Sholom Aleichem. Set in 1905 on the eve of the Russian revolution in the small Jewish village of Anatevka, the story centers on Tevye, the milkman, and his attempts to preserve his family's traditions. Without tradition, Tevye explains, he and the villagers would find their lives "as shaky as a fiddler on the roof." But when his eldest daughter, Tzeitel, begs him to let her marry a poor tailor rather than the middle-aged butcher that the village "matchmaker" has chosen for her, Tevye must choose between his own daughter's happiness and the paradigms that have shaped the foundation of their lives. In turn, what is good for one daughter expands to his other daughters, who also desire to marry for love. Meanwhile, the winds of revolution are swirling at the doorstep and Tevye must not only come to terms with the changing dynamic of his own family, but also that of outside forces, which threaten to disrupt much more than simple tradition. Employing a surrealistic and aesthetically appealing set that utilizes minimal props to direct the focus primarily on the characters, music, and the story itself, the production features a complete orchestra, under the accomplished baton of Ron Bertucci; energized choreographed dance numbers; and fantastic costumes designed with exquisite attention to detail. Leading the talented cast is Al Villaneuva, whose performance as the conflicted papa Tevye is first rate. Although his solos were a bit difficult to hear at times, Villaneuva's vocal dexterity is notably strong in other pieces. Peg Major is delightful as Tevye's no-nonsense wife Golde. Major and Villaneuva perform superbly together in the stirring duet "Do You Love Me?" Megan Morrisson puts in a fine performance as Tzeitel, the oldest daughter who marries the awkward and stammering tailor Motel, played with comedic flair by Curtis N. Buell. Juliet Strong's background in vocal performance is apparent in her role as Tevye's second daughter Hodel. Her lucid, melodic voice resonates opposite John Eaton's (Perchik) in the duet "Now I have Everything." Jackie Stollar is aptly cast as the bookish Chava, who disobeys her father by marrying outside her religion to young Fyedka, played by Chris Carwithen. Marti Stevens Byers is hilarious as the kvetching Matchmaker Yente, which in Yiddish means "a busybody; a gossip," and Kim Donahey's "aerial" dream sequence performance as the butcher's deceased wife Fruma Sarah is a showstopper. Indeed, everyone involved in this fine production merits praise. A heartwarming story and a cornucopia of familiar songs guaranteed to stick in your head long after the curtain falls make Fiddler On the Roof splendid summer fare for the entire family.
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