Fiddler on the Roof
Joseph Stein (Book); Jerry Bock (Music); Sheldon Harnick
(Lyrics)
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| The Cast of Fiddler on the Roof |
After its record-setting, award-winning initial run on
Broadway in 1964; its five Broadway revivals since; countless openings on local
and touring stages globally and in towns and cities from coast to coast in
America – not to mention the 1971 film whose scenes are now emblazoned in the
memories of tens of millions worldwide – how can an outing to see Fiddler on the Roof be much more than a
repeat experience for the majority of today’s audiences? Who among theatre-going audiences does not
know most of the words of the now-iconic songs (lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and
music by Jerry Bock) and who cannot quote lines left and right from favorite
scenes (book by Joseph Stein)? Weddings
everywhere still employ “Sunrise, Sunset” as a mood-setter; and almost anyone may
at some point use phrases like “Tradition, tradition,” “If I were a rich man,”
or “Do you love me?” in often silly sung manners to make a point or get a
laugh. And then there are the Tevye’s of
the past of which many patrons probably have an absolute favorite – Topel, Zero
Mostel, Herschel Bernardi, Harvey Fierstein, etc. Who would dare compete? How possibly can yet one more visiting tour of
Fiddler be anything but be a dusted-off
retread of our collective, past experiences with one of America’s best-loved,
most-familiar stories and musicals?
Actually, that is not at all a problem for the current,
national tour of the 2015, much-acclaimed Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof, now visiting the
stage of Broadway San Jose. Under the direction
of Bartlett Sher, this Fiddler
explodes in contemporary freshness of concept while retaining enough of what we
all remember fondly. The result is a Fiddler on the Roof ready to reignite
returnees’ love and to introduce a whole new generation to a story that in the
end is about forced immigration and its profound effects on families and their
traditions and histories – a storyline perhaps now more relevant than ever. From scenic elements to lighting to the
stage-filled dancing to even Tevye himself, there is much to surprise and wow
any audience member – whether one who has seen a production or the movie a
dozen times or this, the first time.
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| Yehezkel Lazarov |
And it does all begin with Tevye himself. Number One, Israeli actor Yehezkel Lazarov
just looks different from the Tevye’s most will remember. He is taller, more slender, younger
looking. He speaks with a lilt and style
more contemporary that the heavy accents of 1905 Russia most of us are
accustomed in our Tevye’s. He still has
the shaking shoulders and raised arms during “If I Were a Rich Man,” but he
also turns around to shake his buns in a manner I doubt Topel would have ever done. His sung vocals are often lighter, more
nuanced, and fuller of a wide range of emotional display than those of the oft
more gruff and ‘bear-ish’ voices of his famous predecessors (all of which, by
the way, I personally still admire and love to hear once again on
recordings).
Like they, he delightfully delivers Joseph Stein’s many
endearing and hilarious lines as he converses with God, providing his own unique
combination of a wonderful twinkle in his eye and the near-exhausted
frustration of his bent shoulders – lines like “Dear God, it’s true we are the
chosen people, but sometimes why could you not choose someone else?” Like they, he is especially cute and playful
when he prods his wife Golda with “Do You Love Me?”; but his uniquely
sustained, roller-coaster way of saying “love” brings even more fun to the
song. His sung tears as he whispers
“Little Bird” and remembers his little girl, Chava – a daughter he now rejects
after her marriage a Russian Catholic – end in a rumpled collapse that are also
creating soon-to-be memories that this latest Tevye, Yehezkel Lazarov, is
generating among his many new fans in the evening’s audience. (Just remembering his many one-off sighs –
each with its own distinct character – brings a smile to my face as I now write
the next morning these words.)
Among this massive cast of thirty-three, others step forward
to take their rightfully deserved place of honor in the long line of those who
have memorably had their roles in the past.
Maite Uzal’s Golda has an irritable, no-nonsense edge that clearly comes
from a life of pre-dawn to post-dusk household and garden tasks by the
dozens. Her smiles are rare; her time
for gossip and chitchat is nil; her patience runs thin. Tevye’s playful but stubbornly persistent
“But, Golda, do you love me?” finally leads to an eruptive roar, “I’m your wife!”
Her Golda then sings in a voice with cello richness and depth to tell
him all the reasons of why she finally, almost sweetly admits, “I suppose I
do.” A memory maker herself, Maite Uzal is a Golda magnificent.
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| Natalie Powers, Mel Weyn & Ruthy Froch |
As the three daughters who one-by-one test their papa’s
boundaries with their marrying by will and not by his decree, Mel Weyn
(Tzeitel), Ruthy Froch (Hodel), and Natalie Powers (Chava) each has a chance to
prove herself individually – with Chava’s “Far From the Home I Love” being
particularly poignant. Tzeitel also
strikingly shines with devilish teasing in the three’s shared “Matchmaker,
Matchmaker,” a much-loved number by Fiddler
fans that does not plow any new ground in this production; but with Mel
Weyn’s animated playfulness, does not disappoint either.
Each of the wooing, young men makes a mark for himself as
well. The visiting scholar from Kiev,
Perchik (Ryne Nardecchia) brings a bold, firebrand zealousness that Tevye
reluctantly admires and that the village initially mocks but then takes notice
when he leads them to break with tradition of men and women always dancing
separately. As Fyedka, Joshua Logan
Alexander comes into the story late as the young Russian befriending and then
falling in love with Chava and has no songs awarded him; but his tall, kind
persona still manifests its presence powerfully.
However, as often in other productions, it is the poor
tailor, Motel Camzoil, who touches hearts the most. Jesse Weil is the shaking, scared, and almost
speechless when we first meet him, especially when in the presence of
Tevye. We instinctively want to hug and
protect him while we also cannot help but laugh at his ridiculous, retreating
antics and his boyish cries to Tevye of “Please don’t shout at me” as the musters
up the courage to ask for Tzeitel’ hand in marriage (one of the evening’s best
scenes among many great ones). But Jesse
Weil seals the deal as his own unique Motel when he sings “Miracle of Miracles”
with a bubbling, breaking voice full of youthful excitement and energy that bit
by bit transforms with increased courage to a more manly bravado, ready to take
his bride.
Throughout the evening, each scene seems somehow to be even
better than the one preceding it that could have only been described a few
minutes ago in a list of superlatives.
Scenic elements themselves, designed by Michael Yeargan, take the
massively empty stage and fly magically in from all directions to metamorphose
into a milkman’s humble abode with outdoor kitchen, a local tavern, or an
entire village of houses hanging in the sky above. The lighting of Donald Holder is almost
indescribable in its scene-setting beauty, with slanted sun beams connecting a
spotlighted Tevye with his God for an intimate conversation or with dappled
shadows mixing with an array of richly deep celestial colors to set up a song
of proclaimed love. The costumes of
Catherine Zuber illustrate long-held traditions, superstitions, and beliefs
while also punctuating the changing attitudes among the young as well as the
inherent differences of those not a part of this tight, Jewish community.
Clarinets play a big part in accompanying the scenes and the
singers in any Fiddler, and Jeffrey
Beyer and Andrew Clark beautifully provide both spirited and haunting melodies
that leave their own lasting impressions.
Music Director Michael Uselmann conducts the fine orchestra of eleven
while Paul Morland is The Fiddler himself, whose silhouetted presence, familiar
melody, and knowing looks at Tevya are reminders of how tenuous and precious
the daily lives of these villagers are.
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| Olivia Gjurich, Yehezkel Lazarov & Cast |
It is in the spectacular scenes of dreams and dance where
this Fiddler, again like others
before it, may be best recalled years from now.
The screeching warnings of Grandma Tzeitel (Carolyn Keller) and the
giant, long-fingered specter of Frumma-Sarah (Olivia Gjurich) with her railing
siren of sung threats are both a part of a stage filled with ghastly ghosts in
“Tevye’s Dream.” From arm-raised,
shaking, and swaying papas, mamas, sons, and daughters in “Tradition” to the
frenzied mixture of Jewish and Russian hard stomps and high steps in “To Life”
and on to the jaw-dropping, stage-width, knee-slides with bottles teetering on
hats in “The Wedding,” the recreated choreography of Christopher Evans reigns
supreme with both its homage to the original of Hofesh Shechter but adding its
own unexpected newness. That is
especially true in the way Mr. Evans’ choreography utilizes so impressively and
in many different ways total ensemble and smaller clusters of synchronized,
uniform moves that then suddenly change into a kaleidoscope of patterned,
differentiated moves.
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| The Cast of Fiddler on the Roof |
Whether it is The
Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, The Wizard of Oz, or any of several dozen other
Great American Musicals that are now decades old and yet still perennial
favorites, revivals can be both welcomed and dreaded. This touring revival of Fiddler on the Roof is in the end not only welcomed but a reason to
celebrate; for not only does the touring company on the Broadway San Jose stage
proudly recall many aspects we all cherish of past productions, this Fiddler glistens with its own, more
contemporary way of telling a story of that important moment in history well
over a century ago we must never forget.
Rating: 5 E
Fiddler on the Roof
continues through May 26, 2019 at
the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts as part of Broadway San
Jose, 255 South Almaden Boulevard, San Jose.
Tickets are available online at http://broadwaysanjose.com.
Photo
by Joan Marcus
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