Fiddler: Balancing glass bottles

Kendall

New Member
in Fiddler on the roof how would I get the glass bottles to sit on the dancers hats for the number., also must be removable, and we are possibly renting the hats themselves.
 
The hats typically have a little bit of structure inside to give a firm base for the bottle to sit on. There are a million other solutions to this problem from magnets to lightweight bottles with heavy weighted bases to yes, velcro. Call me old school but I think the number really sells best without these tricks. The look is often destroyed when a bottle tips to an unrealistic angle but doesn't fall. Hard work and lots of practice will get the look right and give the dancers something to be proud of. I do recommend doing something to the bottles to keep them from shattering should they fall. I've done paint on the inside but I don't know how well it worked because the bottle never fell. I also did one version with very thin strips of paper mod podged to the outside. Some careful painting and good lighting made them look like regular glass. Those were dropped a few times but held up well through lots of rehearsals with some pretty young kids. I don't have time to search for it right now but I swear there is a thread on this site relating to this. Put "Fiddler on the Roof" in the search bar and you're sure to get all kinds of stuff. Good luck! (and welcome to Control Booth!)
 
Last year when I assisted my middle school on their production of fiddler, they just used Velcro, didn't look the greatest but was simple, quick and easy to use for the students.
 
When Ive done Fiddler the "tricks" I've heard many people suggest were not used. As Skervald said its much better to do it for REAL.

We used paint on the inside of the bottle to help hold them together if they broke (we tested first to make sure it was worthwhile, it is), this can also add a little tiny bit of weight to the bottom (and slightly helps them not to smash, slightly), however the bottom of the appropriate bottles is already much heavier.

A divot in the hat created when you put the bottle on the hat correctly is all you need, that and a lot of practice.

Ive done fiddler twice and only 3 bottles hit the stage in performance in all of those performances. One was grabbed by a bottle dancer who put her own bottle in one hand, cartwheeled and grabbed the other, then with two bottles in hand she bowed (surprised us all, none of us knew she could do that) the crowd LOVED it. One smashed, that was unfortunate, however the paint kept most of it from turning into little wee shards. The third rolled off stage where an ASM grabbed it.
It's OKAY and part of the fun IMO if a bottle hits the deck, however Ideally not to smash. And yes the first time I did the show, I was in highschool and all of the bottle dancers were too.

Ive heard of tricks ranging from permanently attaching the bottle to the hat, to magnets, to velcro. I don't think any of that should be done. Just do the dance for real, and if a bottle falls, it falls, make it part of the show.
 
That's called acting! Well, more specifically, improv acting.
Correction: Good proper acting.

But if you are genuinely concerned about the bottles falling off, you can do magnets, or do no mods and just have a daily "bottle call".
 
Champagne bottles and good dancers. Champagne bottles because they are very heavy, especially at the base, and they are also designed to contain the pressure, so they are sturdier and less likely to break if dropped. Good dancers, because the best way to achieve the look is to do it for real.

That was the combo we used the last time I worked on Fiddler, and it worked very well. Sure, once in a while someone dropped a bottle, but we never broke any, and it adds to the reality and live theatre aspects of the show.
 

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