SU alumnus Stephen Carrasco talks “Fiddler on the Roof” Broadway revival

Stephen Carrasco has exchanged his thigh-high leather boots for turn-of-the-century Russian garb in the revival of “Fiddler on the Roof,” which opened on Broadway Dec. 22. The Syracuse University alumnus graduated nine years ago and ended a two-year stint as dance captain for the show “Kinky Boots” last year. Now, as he is playing a villainous character in “Fiddler,” The Daily Orange caught up with him to find out all the backstage gossip from his new project.

The Daily Orange: You are in the cast of the “Fiddler on the Roof” revival. What is the show about?

Stephen Carrasco: The show is about a family in the fictional town of Anatevka and it’s about a father and his three daughters, and how he struggles with tradition and his religion and the way the world is changing and his daughters falling in love. At the same time he’s dealing with that, the world is changing in a way that is not going well for his people. The Jewish people are eventually kicked out of their town so he has to deal with that on top of the struggles within his own family. It’s about how he copes with it and how someone’s faith can not always line up with what’s occurring in their lives, and how to deal with that. It’s a very classical story and a beautiful, beautiful show.

D.O.: You were dance captain for “Kinky Boots.” What are you doing for “Fiddler”?

S.C.: I am a Russian in “Fiddler on the Roof” so I am not a Jewish person in the show. I am actually one of the people that oppresses the Jewish people. So I’m a bad guy in this one.

D.O.: How long was it since “Fiddler” was on Broadway?
S.C.: I think it’s been about ten years ago; I believe the last revival closed in about 2005 or 2006. It was right before I moved to the city right after I graduated from SU actually.

D.O.: What is it like being part of such an iconic show?

S.C.: I’ve never done a revival of such a well-known and beloved piece of musical theater, so when the tunes of the opening number kick in for the first time with the full orchestra, there’s generally just applause from the audience and that’s really exciting because there’s a familiarity there that has never been there with my past musicals. I love it and it’s really fun, it’s a story that most audiences are very familiar with and yet they’re really excited to see how it unfolds and how we tell it, which is very different to seeing a show you’ve never seen before.

D.O.: How different is the revival from the original?

S.C.: Well, it’s a completely different physical production besides different actors obviously — the set’s completely different, the staging is completely different. Until our revival, the Jerome Robbins estate — Jerome Robbins choreographed the original production — has required every revival of “Fiddler on the Roof” to use the original choreography and with our revival, this is the first time they’ve allowed new choreography to be developed.

D.O.: How does “Fiddler” compare to “Kinky Boots”?

S.C.: They’re very different. “Kinky” is a very different musical in that it’s contemporary, it’s pop rock and it’s a feel good, uplifting musical. (“Fiddler”) is a little bit more of a downer but in this oddly hopeful way at the end. It’s a very different energy than “Kinky Boots” and especially playing someone who isn’t necessarily the greatest human being in the whole world has been vastly different than playing a drag queen.

D.O.: The show opened right before Christmas. Is the audience different at that time of year?

S.C.: Around the Christmas week, December into New Year’s is a very profitable time for Broadway; it’s a very touristy season in New York. Most shows, regardless of whether they are that popular or not are packed at that time of year. Not only were we a new and exciting show, we were a new and exciting show during one of the most popular times in New York. It was a long process — we started in October — so by the time Dec. 20 rolled around we were excited to open and be on a normal schedule again and get our lives back a bit.

D.O.: Do you think “Fiddler” will be long-lasting?

S.C.: Yes, we got wonderful reviews in The New York Times, and I do think that any revival, but particularly this one, will last for quite a while. Not only because of whether the show is good or not, which is still the point, but just because, it’s “Fiddler on the Roof.” I mean, especially to the Jewish people, it’s a staple in their repertoire and something that they will come no matter what, which is wonderful for us. The fact that it’s also good is such a huge bonus because that means that maybe we can run even longer than we had anticipated.

D.O.: What is your favorite backstage story so far?

S.C.: There’s a scene toward the end of the show where … (the actress) Jenny has to push this cart out following her sister and her mother onto stage. She was pushing the cart out and she didn’t see but one of the wheels got stuck on one of the hard walls of the stage. So she had to — like Austin Powers — had to keep pushing and reversing and pushing and reversing and pushing and reversing and she couldn’t get it onto stage and it was one of the funniest things I have ever seen just standing watching. Of course we wanted to help her, but we couldn’t just go onstage and help her!

D.O.: If you could use one word to capture “Fiddler on the Roof,” what would it be?

S.C.: Tradition.