I grew up riding my bike daily to the Parrot Jungle juice and fruit stand, the Wayside Market. We did not have a dedicated library or youth center as we do now. I feel that all residents are fortunate to have the changes that have taken place in the parks and recreation space throughout Pinecrest. They have a special place to live, and special neighbors and friends. So here is a holiday story to enjoy about some of your neighbors.
Village residents Paloma Aisenberg and her dad, Sergio, landed roles in the beautiful musical Fiddler on the Roof presented in November in the Banyan Bowl in Pinecrest Gardens by the Miami Acting Company. Paloma plays the role of Chava, one the daughters, while her dad is the bookseller, Avram. They say that being able to share the acting experience was a very special gift for them.
While Paloma is an actress who has been in many shows in her life has won several awards, this was Sergio’s first acting experience and he says he could not be happier because he appeared in his favorite show with his only daughter.
Fiddler has always been a very important play for the Aisenberg family and it was the theme of Paloma’s Bat Mitzvah, where she and a few of her friends performed Matchmaker. Her dad sang If I Were a Rich Man and, with her mom, Jackie, they sang the duet Do You Love Me? One of Paloma’s very good friends — who, ironically, sang Matchmaker with her at her Bat Mitzvah, a very talented singer/artist Brooke Sterling — told her about the Miami Acting Company auditions for Fiddler, one of Paloma’s favorite shows. Paloma jumped at the chance and won the part.
Sergio was ecstatic, but deep down he wished that he could also be in the show. His wife had a good feeling about that and encouraged him to audition, too. While talking on the phone with director Kenneth Kurtz, she told him, “Please listen to my husband sing. He loves this show more than anything!” And Sergio did audition and sang his heart out with songs from Fiddler.
And the rest is history. Father and daughter rehearsed together at the Pinecrest Community Center with the Miami Acting Company, met amazingly talented people who love theater and then performed side by side in this year’s production of Matchmaker in the Banyan Bowl.
For those who may not know its history, Fiddler is the story of the challenges of the Jewish people at the start of the 20th Century in a world in turmoil, with the challenge of maintaining traditions in a changing society. But the musical also carries a universal message that has made it the longest running play in the history of Broadway.
Fiddler will forever be in the hearts of Sergio and Paloma, and they urge the entire community to get involved in their own backyard with Pinecrest Gardens in the coming year.
I wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season into 2015. Please get out there and enrich yourself in Pinecrest, the best place to live in South Florida.
June Savage is a Realtor associate in the Coral Gables office of One Sotheby’s International Realty. Contact her by email at june67@me.com or by phone at 786- 202-3211.
