FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM MARCH 28, 2019 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 63
The stars were out! VICTORIA’S
vschneps@gmail.com
An overcast sky
hid the stars last
Th ursday evening
— but it didn’t
matter, because the
real stars were fi lling
our world at the
LaGuardia Plaza
Hotel in East Elmhurst.
Th ey were being recognized
as our “Stars
Under 40” at our annual
Queens and Long Island
event. Th e honorees joyously
made their way down the red
carpet, dancing, strutting and
fl ashing million dollar smiles.
I know it’s a night of networking
and making new friends
and business contacts, but what
warms my heart is to see the
pure happiness of the “stars”
and their families, colleagues
and those who came to celebrate
with them.
To my delight, one of the
honorees was Lisa Aamodt,
the school principal from
Congregation Tifereth Israel in
Glen Cove, where my grandchildren
Addy and Jonah attend
classes. Th ey adore her because
of her positive, welcoming
energy.
When I told Addy that we
honored her principal, she said,
“Lisa knows me so well that she
recognizes us (Jonah and Addy)
from the back of our heads.” A
true test of her special way with
children.
I was also happy to also honor
City Councilman Donovan
Richards, a rising star among
Queens County Democrats.
Richards has “brought home the
bacon” for his district and has
served in Queens politics since
he was a 19-year-old volunteer
for then-City Councilman (and
current state Senator) James
Sanders Jr.
Richards has a bright future
ahead of him, but he’s a “Shining
Star” already for Queens!
Who would think?
When I heard that
the remarkable,
heart-rendering
“Fiddler On Th e Roof ”
was playing at the 500-
seat Stage 42 theatre, I put
it on my must-see list.
Th e fact that it was being
presented in Yiddish
by the national YIddish
Th eatre didn’t defer my
enthusiasm.
My instincts were right
because I adored every minute
of the 3 ½-hour production.
Aft er all, the choreography was
done by the original genius Jerome
Robbins, with additional dances by Stas Kmiec
and all under the direction of the brilliantly-talented
Joel Grey.
On the stage, on either side, were screens that
clearly had the English translation of all songs
and dialogue throughout the show. It was very
easy for me to follow the storyline, since I know
the music and the emotions that are sensitively
portrayed. I was totally engaged even though the
actors spoke completely in Yiddish.
It is the story of a Russian family living in a
little town in Russia around 1918, and how the
father “Tevye” was holding on with
all his might to the traditions of
his Jewish heritage. But times
were changing, and his daughters
challenged him in their
choice of husbands.
We are carried back in
time as the cossacks force
all the Jewish families to
leave their beloved home.
Th e story rings true to this
day!
All of the beloved songs
from Fiddler, like “Tradition,”
“Matchmaker, Matchmaker,”
“Sunrise, Sunset” and the touching
“Do You Love Me?”, were mesmerizingly
performed by American actors, each of whom
learned Yiddish! Steven Skybell, who portrayed
Tevye, had performed the role on Broadway in
2016, as did Jennifer Babiak, who played Golde.
Th eir performances brought me to tears, to
cheers, to my feet shouting “Bravo!” as the cast
took their curtain call.
Who would think that I could enjoy the classic
“Fiddler on the Roof,” performed in Yiddish,
and it would be so compelling, so superb and so
understandable! You must try it and see it for
yourself, you’ll love it!
SECRETS
Victoria
SCHNEPSYUNIS
tweet me @vschneps
Danny Pisani and his daughter with
Antoinette Biordi and I
Chris Croken of Bethpage Federal
Credit Union
Andrew Meditz and Michael Zuchelli of Elite Pool and Fitness Management
City Councilman Donovan Richards with the NYC Health + Hospitals group, including
COO Israel Rocha, Dr. Samuel Trosman and Dr. Jasmin Moshipur
Lisa Aamodt, Vicki Schneps and emcee Antoinette Biordi
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