Michael-Kennen Miller has forged a busy career as actor, singer, dancer and model during the past three years. Now the Montgomery County native anticipates a huge family turnout when he is reprises his role as Fyedka in “Fiddler on the Roof” playing at Wolf Trap this weekend. “This is the second time I’ve played Fyedka in the past year and a half,” he said. “I was in rehearsal for ‘West Side Story’ at Coney Island and couldn’t make the audition for this tour, so I thought I’d have to pass on it. But they remembered me from before and cast me anyway.
“Fyedka is the only non-Jewish character in the musical. He causes a little bit of a mess for Tevye because his marriage to the daughter Chava goes against the family tradition. I love working with this cast of ridiculously talented people who have amazing Broadway credits.”
| Onstage |
| ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ |
| Where: Wolf Trap Filene Center |
| When: 8 p.m. Friday to Sunday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday |
| Info: $40 to $80 in-house, $20 lawn at 877-965-8727 |
As master of two dozen bankable talents — among them acrobatics, stage combat, juggling and football — Miller has been astounding audiences since childhood. A onetime competitive swimmer, diver and Maryland state champion gymnast, he gravitated to theater while attending the all-boys Georgetown Prep School. The object was to meet girls who came from other schools to play female roles in productions mounted by GPS. Along the way, he became enamored with the stage.
Soon after receiving a BFA from Elon College in North Carolina, he was cast as Willard Hewitt in the national tour of “Footloose,” followed by his first Fyedka. Rave reviews accompanied his turns at Link Larkin in “Hairspray,” Oberon in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and Snoopy in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.” Along with key regional roles, he was a featured soloist in the Irish Rep Theatre’s Cabaret for a Cause.
Utilizing his New York City base, Miller is seen in Hello Kitty and Glico chocolate commercials. But his most intriguing part-time job is as a model. Ever since a scout spotted him in “Footloose,” Miller has modeled for such major companies as Gucci, Calvin Klein, Saks Fifth Avenue, Versace, Target and Victoria Beckham. Earlier this spring, he made the cover of fashion magazine De Novo.
Kind as recent years have been to Miller, he ended his freshman year at Elon College with surgery for a tumor the size of a fist on his right femur. He was on crutches for two months, unable to accept an invitation for his first summer stock experience. Against doctor’s orders, he used his leg, drove with his left foot and did handsprings in a production of “West Side Story” his sophomore year.
He accepted the temporary setback philosophically, saying, “Although it took more than a year to heal and my mother was terrified, I came out stronger and began coaching young gymnasts, something I still do.”
