Whiskey Tango Foxtrot & Fiddler on the Roof

I love Tina Fey. I’d go to any movie she’s in, just to see her do her comic shtick. I love her lopsided grin that borders on a sneer. I love her spot-on Sarah Palin, and before I ever voted for Sarah Palin for any office, I’d vote for Tina Fey for any office, including president of the United States. However, I may have to revise that love, that attendance, that vote of confidence in light of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. It just wasn’t very good. We got to see Tina as war correspondent Kim Barker in Afghanistan and Pakistan from 2003 to 2006. The movie, based on the real Kim Barker’s memoir, The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan, was listed as a drama/comedy. Drama, maybe, but certainly not a comedy of any kind. We see her in 2003 accepting an assignment in Afghanistan to cover the war, joining the only other female correspondent there, Tanya (Margot Robbie), who shows her the ropes of life in Kabul, the booze, the sex, and yes, the reporting. The story shows her extending what she first thought was going to be only three months to nearly three years, with each year making her more daring in her coverage, looking for that endorphin rush that athletes and cops know from their proximity to victory and danger. And lots of boozing and meaningless sex. This is a film I’ll forget in just a few more days. If I remember it, I may never again see Tina Fey. If I forget it, I’ll probably go to the next one she makes, hoping against hope that it stars the funny, lopsided-grinning Tina Fey.

Last night, we had the extreme pleasure of seeing Fiddler on the Roof at the Arizona Broadway Theatre, and again, they just keep getting better and better, more and more professional, more and more a joy to visit the best theatre in the Valley, maybe in the state, maybe in all states west of the Mississippi. Well, that last may be a stretch, but they’re certainly good. As we were leaving, the cast members were standing in the lobby to say goodbye to us. I made a point of finding Jason Simon, who played Tevye. I shook his hand and told him that Zero Mostel would be proud. I hope he understood what I was saying; I’m sure he must have seen a video of Zero Mostel doing the original Tevye on Broadway. I wanted him to know that his Tevye was every bit as good as Zero’s. In fact, I can’t imagine any theatre group anywhere, including Broadway, doing Fiddler any better. The sets were innovative, the lighting flawless, the costumes accurate, the pit band excellent, the choreography nearer and nearer to professional (especially the three Russians doing the crossed-arms-floor kicks and the slow dance with bottles on top of the head), the voices as good as anyone could want. And Tevye was large as life, both in girth and voice. I guess the only other positive comment I can make is that the dinner was fabulous, pretty much in line with the excellence of this Fiddler on the Roof.