Baltimore's Matthew Marks Returns Home in 'Fiddler on the Roof' at the Hippodrome

When Topol takes the stage at Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre Tuesday night, October 20, it will be just another night in his long "Farewell Tour".  But for the young actor playing Sasha and the Clarinet Player, it will be quite special.  For Matthew Marks (who had to change his name from Cline due to rules established by Actor's Equity) he will be making his professional debut in his home town of Baltimore.

It's been a long journey from his portrayal of Frederick in the Sound of Music at "Cockpit in the Court" theater in Essex, MD when he was nine years old.  His resume quickly expanded to include Our Town (he played Wally Webb and after he died on stage had to stay frozen for all of Act II), The King and I  at the age of ten (but only as an understudy and never went on), and Sleeping Beauty as the narrator (Timonium Dinner Theater).

It was his mother Joan (who actually gets the credit for the name of Marks) who after seeing  Anything Goes at the Carver Center for the Arts and Technology in Towson, MD, thought it may be a good fit for her talented son.

I had the pleasure of seeing Matt perform at Carver in his roles as "Nachem the Beggar" in Fiddler, "Harry the Horse" in Guys and Dolls, "Barnaby" in Hello Dolly,  "Tranio" in The Taming of the Shrew, and in his senior year, "Curly" in Oklahoma. It was hard not to notice his talent even at a young age. He always had a special flair. 

Following high school, he attended Marymount College in New York City but after two years decided to make it on his own.  He took dance classes at the Broadway Dance Center and Steps, studied voice for eight years with Jack Waddell.

He performed at the Media Theatre in Sweet Charity and La Cage Aux Folles where he learned a lot. A major part of his education occurred while performing at the Bucks County Playhouse where he did eight shows in five months, where he would rehearse one show during the day and perform in the evening. 

The important Equity Card came as a result of a five months' tour with Theaterworks' If you Give a Mouse a Cookie.

Matt's like changed in September, 2008, when he auditioned for the tour of Fiddler in New York. It was a brutal process. He went to the dancer calls and the singer calls where he sang 16 bars.  Matt was more than a little excited when he was invited to call backs.

The first day he rehearsed for 6 hours. The second day he performed for the director, Sammy Dallas Bayes (who was in the original Broadway production). The third day he read scenes. The fourth day he read the role of Fyedka with Topol. It was a week later he was offered the role of an understudy for Fyedka and the ensemble.

In January, rehearsals began at the 37 Arts Theater and lasted a month. The show traveled to Wilmington, DE for two previews. The tour finally began in February in Providence, RI.  He has more than 200 performances under his belt.

Matt truly loves the show. He stated, "It's one of those perfect musicals with a great history. I'm really proud and thrilled to be a part of it."

Opening night will be the first time Matt will step forth on the stage of the Hippodrome. His mother and family will be in attendance on Sunday, the 25^th. I'm sure they'll bring plenty of tissues.

Matt is also looking forward to giving a Master Class at his high school alma mater on Oct. 27.  He commented, "I hope to give back to the students a little of what I've learned about the business. It's always fun to talk to students. Hopefully, I can teach them something they don't get in school."

Fiddler on the Roof  runs until Nov. 1 at the Hippodrome. Call 410-547-7328 or visit www.france-merrickpac.com.

For comments, write to cgshubow@broadwayworld.com.

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