Displaying items by tag: Fiddler on the Roof

“How do we keep our balance?”

Posed in the very first moments of Fiddler on the Roof, this question receives an emphatic answer – Tradition! – by way of a high-energy opening number that immediately transports the audience into the heart of the 1900s Jewish-Russian village of Anatevka. Yet, as the story unfolds, keeping our balance proves easier sung than done. The show follows milkman Tevye, his wife Golde, and their five daughters as they navigate love, family, faith, and the growing tension between honoring tradition and embracing change.

Wonderfully directed by L. Walter Stearns, Music Theatre Works’ production brought this struggle for balance to life with both humor and heart to North Shore Center for the Performing Arts.

Sam Nichison perfectly portrayed Tevye’s nuance and conflicting motivations, shifting from scene to scene. At times, his bitterness over poverty and hardship bubbled to the surface; at others, he offered moments of genuine warmth and authenticity with his family. Alongside him, Golde, played by Mitzi Smith, was his perfect match – grounded and witty, with tenderness beneath her no-nonsense exterior. Together, they perfectly anchored both their family and the story.

Standout vocals seemed to run in the family, as Tevye and Golde’s three eldest daughters (Tzeitel, Hodel, and Chava played by Madison Uphoff, Elissa Newcorn, and Madison Jaffe-Richter, respectively) were each showstopping in their own respects. “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” was one of the rawest numbers of the show; all three actresses sounded excellent while also selling the charm of a true sisterly moment.

Visually, this production did it all. The simple and flexible set design (Bob Knuth) transported us through Anatevka, shifting seamlessly from humble home to wedding venue to dreamscape. The lively feeling behind every scene, as well as the fluidity in these transitions, could not have been achieved without the townspeople. The ensemble didn’t just inhabit spaces on a stage – they made the stage their village, filled it with energy, and created a sense of community that stayed with you throughout the production.

The Bottle Dance Dancers: (L to R) Daniel Hurst, David Sommer, David Geinosky, Erol Ibrahimović and Alex Villaseñor, in FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, presented by Music Theater Works.

This sense of community was never more evident, however, than in the choreography. Under Marla Lampert’s direction, the musical numbers incorporated traditional Yiddish and Russian styles with the grandeur and expressiveness of musical theatre. The athleticism and precision needed for any of these styles cannot be understated, but Jake Mickel, Daniel Hurst, Alex Villaseñor, and Erol Ibrahimović deserve special praise for their performances as Russian dancers. “Sunrise, Sunset” in particular radiated warmth, joy, and (yes) tradition, creating the true feeling of a Jewish wedding on stage. Achieving such a level of intentionality with a full ensemble on stage at once is hard enough, but Lampert was equally successful in conveying larger-than-life emotions in more intimate moments, such as in “If I Were a Rich Man” and “Miracle of Miracles.”

Musically, the pit orchestra was outstanding, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t shout out the titular character. The Fiddler’s (Emily Fischer) live violin stood out without needing to be up on the roof, adding an almost magical thread throughout the show. Sometimes playful, sometimes haunting, always essential; each appearance drew you in and made the village of Anatevca feel complete.

If there was one aspect of the production that occasionally pulled me out of the time and place, it was the moments of inconsistency in line delivery. The genuine connection across the cast shone through and added immensely to the show but occasionally tipped their quips and banter into a contemporary rhythm that felt a shade too casual for Anatevka’s early 1900s setting. It’s a small quibble in a production otherwise so committed to transporting the audience.

That said, what ultimately makes Fiddler on the Roof so enduring is its timeless resonance. You don’t have to share in Tevye’s traditions to understand the fear of losing something so precious, or the complex joy of watching someone you love – be it one of your five daughters or a friend – step into a new chapter.

The creative team understood the timelessness of this story deeply. In the final moments, the audience wasn’t just applauding strong vocals or impressive dancing; we were applauding our newfound sense of connection. Between the characters, the actors, and the audience. Between a century-old story and our own lives today.

Music Theatre Works' Fiddler on the Roof runs through August 17th at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie. Tickets are available at www.northshorecenter.org/series/music-theater-works/.

*This review is also featured on https://www.theatreinchicago.com/! 

It’s hard to believe that Fiddler on the Roof turns 60 this year. It’s even harder to believe that the show, which opened on Broadway in 1964, can still take an audience by surprise. In continuous production around the globe, and with brides continuously walking down the aisle to “Sunrise, Sunset,” Drury Lane Theatre’s new version proves Fiddler’s mettle once again.

Director Elizabeth Margolius and choreographer Rommy Sandhu dispense with some of the standard staging choices, mostly without disturbing the spirit that animates the musical. Evocative tableaux replace folky dances right from the opening number. After Tevye (Mark David Kaplan) ushers us into Anatevka, lights come up on the townspeople in rows that initially suggest a church choir or a Greek chorus.

“Tradition” proceeds in that linear formation, bringing the village to life in a cluster rather than filling the full stage. Then, as Tevye narrates the action, the cast begins to sway and bob, the movement not of Christians or Hellenes but of worshipping Jews. Each group – the papas, the mamas, the sons, the daughters – has its verse, standing upright and illuminated while the others crouch. Roles are specified, expectations declared. Whether expressing the closeness of the community, fear of what lays beyond the shtetl or just the cold Russian climate, these people function as a bickering, intertwined unit.

At least, it starts that way. Jack McGaw’s set puts the flat façade of a house center stage, a piece of scenery that disappears, panel by panel, as the story progresses. With every personal encounter, traditions break down and push everyone towards the empty space of the future. Tevye tells Golde, “it’s a new world.” How comfortable was the old world? Projections, designed by Mike Tutaj, appear on screens throughout the show, and an historic photograph of a shabby shack reminds us that a poor man like Tevye had little in the way of comfort.

There are no props – no dairy cart beside Tevye during “If I Were a Rich Man” or a book for his daughter Chava to exchange with her non-Jewish suitor Fyedka. Though odd at first, it works especially well during “Sabbath Prayer” when the family gathers to light the shabbas candles. Instead of candlesticks, the screens that frame the action fill with images of flames. In group scenes such as this, the use of projections is stirring. During more intimate moments, when the faces of the characters are projected onto the screens, they seem less of an enrichment and more of a distraction.

Several cast members bring new attention to smaller roles, such as Joel Gelman as Lazar Wolf, the widowed butcher who sets his sights on Tevye’s first born Tzeitel. Yes, Lazar Wolf is too old and unrefined for the girl. But Gelman exudes such heartfelt joy at the prospect of marrying her, he inspires sympathy when the deal falls through. In the hands of Janet Ulrich Brooks, Yente the Matchmaker lands the laugh lines that have turned “yente” into a synonym for meddlesome gossip. But Brooks also conveys the loneliness of a woman who has no one to call her own.

What do the inhabitants of Anatevka have to call their own by the end? Not much. Their bickering, intertwined unit scatters in all directions as the Russian authorities confiscate their property. We know these people after 60 years of imagining that fiddler trying to keep his balance on a shaky roof. At Drury Lane Theatre, we meet them once again as tableaux of memory that reach through time and space.  

Fiddler on the Roof is playing now through March 24^th at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook. Tickets are available at www.drurylanetheatre.com

The above phrase has become a regular one spoken in my home and in the homes of friends in the village of Skokie, first as an inside joke and now as a communal mantra. A mantra of togetherness. A mantra of character. A mantra of love.

That same mantra kept playing in my mind as the Bartlett Sher-directed touring production of Bock and Harnick’s timeless Fiddler on the Roof created a village on the stage of the Cadillac Palace Theatre. Sure, the sets carried us back to turn of the century Eastern Europe. And sure, those beloved songs and that well-known story transport us to the village of Anatekva. But it’s the people who populate that shtetl — and the talented actors of this production who portray them — that bring the village to life.

From the get-go, the face and voice of the village is Yehezkel Lazarov’s Tevye. An Israeli actor and director, Lazarov brings a similar old-world grit and charm to the character that Topol did in the film version. He’s funny and personable, sure, but also tired and wistful and, perhaps, a bit broken as he lays out his life to his audience and his G-d. My favorite number from Fiddler, and the one I most connect with as a father and as someone in a profession that isn’t as profitable as those held by my peers, is “If I Were a Rich Man,” and Lazarov nails it, hitting the humorous notes and the cantorial ones, as well. But beyond his skill at singing and dancing on a Broadway stage, it’s Lazarov’s ability to flesh out Tevye and bring him to life that did it for me.

Tevye’s daughters, played by Mel Weyn (Tzeitel), Ruthy Froch (Hodel), and Natalie Powers (Chava), are the other standouts. Again, as the father and mother of daughters, my wife and I were all too familiar with the complex mix of side-eye glances, huffiness, and adoration that Tevye’s girls show him. Weyn, Froch, and Powers nail it when it comes to portraying a family. And they nail it, too, musically. Particularly when the trio takes on “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” their voices blend and their harmonies soar as if they actually are siblings singing together.

The other main roles are adequately filled, as well. Carol Beaugard, as said matchmaker Yente, is a hoot. Maite Uzal effectively plays Tevye’s foil, his acerbic, realistic, and ultimately loving wife, Golde. Jesse Weil, Ryne Nardecchia, and Joshua Logan Alexander all do well as Tevye’s daughters’ suitors.

But it’s the rest of the folks in the cast — the ensemble and the musicians — who really make the village. The bottle dance at the wedding that ends Act I is, for sure, a main highlight. But the village of folks that make up the busyness and beauty behind each of the show’s big numbers is what grabs the eyes and hearts of the audience. Whether it’s the bustling Anatekva of “Tradition,” the drunken Jews and Gentiles who come together if only for a moment in “To Life,” or the specters that haunt “Tevye’s Dream,” the ensemble shines throughout. So, too, does the orchestra, conducted and coordinated by Michael Uselmann and John Mezzio, fill the big shoes that Fiddler’s musical legacy requires. Ionut Cosarca on violin strings us along from the pit, just as and spirited Paul Morland does in his role as the titular Fiddler.

So, to see a new take on a classic this holiday season, and to see a cast of skilled creatives make the village this classic takes, head to the Cadillac Palace Theatre from now until January 6 for Fiddler on the Roof.