Local actress Nina Gavianelli stars as Yenta in “Fiddler on the Roof Concert,” a one-off performance Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Michael Klein Music Tent. Courtesy of Theatre Aspen ▲
Nina Gavianelli has lived in and around Aspen for about 25 years. During her time there, she has acted in just about every theater company in the Roaring Fork Valley. On Tuesday, for the second year in a row, she will appear in Theatre Aspen and the Aspen Music Festival’s ongoing collaboration, performing as Yenta in “Fiddler on the Roof Concert” in the Michael Klein Music Tent.
Gabianelli received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from the Boston Conservatory and spent ten years as an actor in New York City, performing in regional theatres from Philadelphia to Florida and producing and performing in numerous solo shows on the Manhattan cabaret circuit.
Gabianelli was general manager of Crystal Palace Dinner Theatre from 2003 to 2008. While she was running the show, she also performed in the show as an actress. She has worked with the now-defunct Aspen Community Theatre, Glenwood Vaudeville Theatre, Theatre Aspen, Thunder River Theatre Company and was a founding member of the hugely popular Consensus Improv.
“Consensus Improv has 13 members, including about seven of the founding members,” Gabianelli says, “so we’re a very tight-knit group that’s been around for a long time.”
During her Valley acting career, some of her favorite roles include Miss Hannigan in Theatre Aspen’s “Annie,” Mrs. Lovett in Glenwood Vaudeville Review’s “Sweeney Todd,” Joan in Aspen Community Theatre’s “Company,” and most recently, Jeanie in Theatre Aspen’s 2023 production of “Beautiful.”
Theatre Aspen began with local actors at the Hotel Jerome but has grown into a company that attracts talented actors from Broadway and other area theater companies.
“There’s a long tradition of great theater in the valley, which is really wonderful, but as Theatre Aspen transitioned to a more professional theater company, it became harder for those of us who live here to participate,” Gabianelli said. “I’ve been so honored to have the opportunity to be a part of Theatre Aspen’s collaboration with the Aspen Music Festival, both last year and this year.”
Gabianelli plays the role of Yenta in The Fiddler. When asked about her character, she said, “She’s a matchmaker. She loves gossip, she’s a town snob. But in the old tradition where the people don’t choose their husbands, but husbands are chosen for the people, the matchmaker is very important. The matchmaker’s job is to find the right husband for the right person, and she is the subject of one of the best-known songs in the play (“The Matchmaker”).
Tuesday’s performance marks a reunion of sorts for Gabbianelli: She attended college reunions with her co-star in the play, Ann L. Nathan (who plays Golda), and they’ve remained friends since graduation.
“It’s so amazing to be on the same stage as Ann,” Gabianelli says, “and then a week ago I got the rehearsal schedule and I saw David Benoit’s name on it, who also graduated from the Boston Conservatory, a few years behind us. So on Tuesday night we’ll basically have three people who went to school together.”
When asked what she likes most about Fiddler on the Roof, Gabianelli replied, “The music is just so beautiful. It was performed at the Aspen Community Theatre in 2007, and I played Yenta then. The music is just so beautiful. It’s timeless. The story of family, tradition, change and growth are universal themes that will continue to be relevant for a long time to come. It’s not a timeless play. It’s timeless.”