Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof
Broadway Theatre, NYC, February 9, 2016
Reviewed by Elizabeth Ahlfors for Cabaret Scenes
Danny Burstein as Tevye
Photo: Joan Marcus
Revisited by director Bartlett Sher, Fiddler on the Roof continues to thrill even as it reveals contemporary overtones of crisis. It was over a half-century ago that Zero Mostel began his memorable run as Tevye, a hard-working milkman in rural Ukraine. Currently at the Broadway Theatre, it is now the brilliant Danny Burstein playing Tevye with thoughtful shadings of decency in one of the great musicals of Broadway tradition.
In this production, Sher sets up an intriguing frame for the story when silently, Burstein appears on the bare gray stage in a red Gore-Tex parka, looking around at the telephone cables above, and a sign reading “Anatevka.” He holds a book in his hand and reads, “A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? But in our little village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof.” Presumably, he has arrived in the town evacuated by his ancestors a century before. What is the thread weaving from the old country through the decades to this man today?
The answer is “Tradition!” With the sound of a violin, characters begin gathering, Burstein sheds his coat and the stage fills with the exuberant opening song. We are back in the small struggling village of the early 1900s, home of Tevye, devoted to his religion, his wife, Golde (Jessica Hecht), daughters, and his culture, but well aware of the underpinnings of the looming threat of pogroms.
Joseph Stein based his book on the short stories of Sholom Aleichem and the lifeblood of the villagers runs through the rhythmic power of Jerry Bock’s music with Sheldon Harnick’s joyful and tender lyrics. Inspired by the original Jerome Robbins choreography, Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter brings a muscular intensity to his dances, although the original bottle dance, thankfully, remains untouched.
Tevye and Golde have five daughters, all of whom want to marry for love. Golde is a stern, hard-working woman dedicated to the rules of her society. She wants her eldest daughter, Tzeitel (Alexandra Silber), to marry the successful town butcher, Lazar Wolf (Adam Dannheisser). Tzeitel, however, is in love with a poor, timid tailor, Motel (Adam Kantor). The second daughter, Hodel (Samantha Massell), is attracted to a radical student, Perchik (Ben Rappaport), and the third daughter, Chava (Melanie Moore) finds love outside her faith with Fyedka (Nick Rehberger). All their choices are rebellious and unacceptable to the village traditions and when the three daughters harmonically blend with “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” their yearning to make individual choices rings clear.
Just a few of the outstanding musical moments includes Hodel’s eloquent good-bye to her father with “Far from the Home I Love,” as Tevye tenderly wraps his scarf around her neck for the long trip to Siberia. Also, there is no doubt of Adam Kantor’s portrayal in the timid tailor rejoicing with “Miracle of Miracles” after Tevye gives him permission to marry Tzeitel. Alex Korey is crisp and funny as Yente, the matchmaker. Hecht is a fine actress, but does not add much to round out Golde’s personality.
It is Burstein, however, who soars in this play, bringing an understated warmth and self-deprecating humor to the strong-willed dairyman who faces life with rousing comedy and heartbreaking tragedy. He reveals a conflicted man, a frustrated father who cannot deny his daughters’ happiness, a man who manages to communicate on some level with the constable to gain a temporary peace from the heel of Russian imperialist rule. Clearly a man of indomitable spirit, Burstein’s Tevye can handle the demands of a harsh life with a brusque wife, vigorous discussions in the marketplace and an ebullient night of celebratory dancing and drinking “To Life.”
Anatevka and its people are illuminated on Michael Yeargan’s simple, wide sets with homes and shops suspended in the air. Donald Holder’s evocative lighting is luminous, with “Sunrise, Sunset” immersed in a deep orange hue. Catherine Zuber created earth-colored clothing for the sturdy townspeople, and throughout the play is the surrealism of Marc Chagall with a fiddler balancing on a rooftop and the expressionist dream scene with surrealist ghosts from the past, wistful and demanding. Ted Sperling provides a full, rich Broadway sound in his orchestrations.
With Danny Burstein’s rich layered Tevye, Fiddler on the Roof ends with a bittersweet tradition. The villagers are in silhouette, marching away from their homes. Wearing his red coat, Burstein joins them, the past and the present. Leaving home is heartbreaking, evident of the image of refugees leaving their homes today. This is a play about a Jewish man, his home, his traditions and life’s changes, yet it’s a play that rings with universality.
Category: Broadway Reviews, Musical Theatre Reviews, New York City, New York City Musical Theatre Reviews
