REVIEW: Fiddler on the Roof by Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick and Joseph Stein – Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne
The original Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof was the longest-running show on Broadway during its first run in 1964, a record it held until it was beaten by Grease the following decade. It still remains the 19th longest-running show in Broadway history and it has returned to Broadway or the West End every decade since, sometimes multiple times.
It hasn’t
been much of a stranger on Australia stages, either. It was first produced here
in 1967 and has also had major revivals every decade since – most recently with
Anthony Warlow in the lead role of Tevye. But in the 1990s, we were also blessed
with a production starring Topol, who originally played the role in Tel Aviv and
the West End. He ended up playing the role more than 3,500 times in his life.
He also starred in the film version, directed by Norman Jewison in 1971.
I list all
these superlatives, because it’s one of the most famous musicals in the world, a
certified classic under nearly any metric you can throw at it, and – I had
never seen it before Thursday night.
Director
Jordan Fein’s production, which originally played at the Regent’s Park Open Air
Theatre and then went on to become the most successful musical of all time at
the Barbican, has landed in Australia under the watchful eye of local resident
director, Gary Abrahams.
I went in
expecting the story of Tevye and his daughters and the saga to find them
husbands. I had no idea it was set during the Pale of Settlement in Imperial
Russia in the early 1900s and that backdrop lends a heaviness to the story that
I was not expecting. No wonder this show is revived so often; its tales of
tradition versus modernity and set during drastic political upheaval for the large
Russian Jewish population makes for a compelling night at the theatre.
Fein’s
production finds a way to keep this series of simple tales filled with drama
and portent. The set by designer Tom Scutt is deceptively simple – grasslands that
hide the orchestra, but also frame a town square where much of the action takes
place. The titular “fiddler on the roof” appears on a floating field that looks
like it has risen from the earth below. Choreographer Julia Cheng incorporates
some of Jerome Robbins’ classic dances with her own modern sensibility.
Troy Sussan’s
Tevye balances brusqueness with charm and his beautiful voice is captivating
throughout. Alexis Fishman’s Golde is the heart of the piece and her and Sussman’s
rendition of Do You Love Me was utter magic. It’s always a delight to
see Sigrid Thornton on stage and she’s perfect in the matchmaker role of Yente.
It’s a large cast, which allows the celebration scenes to feel like full on
parties (and the dream sequence to be delightfully odd), but when the Russians
arrive to disrupt a wedding reception, the chaos and trauma feels shocking.
For such a
classic, it seems silly to complain about the structure of the show, but early
on it felt like watching a series of sketches, rather than the
foundations of a full-bodied musical. Because the show is based on short stories, this patchwork collection of songs and scenes makes some sense,
but I sat there at a slight remove. Fein’s choice to have a lot of the cast
sitting around the playing space, to give a sense of community, also gave me
the feeling of characters waiting for their moment in the spotlight.
By the end
of the first act, though, the story threads do gather together, and most of the
characters are drawn in to a central dramatic arc that plays out over the
course of Act Two. The Act One end is powerful, but the denouement of the show
is devastating. I was not prepared.
This new
production of Fiddler on the Roof is stunning – visually, aurally and emotionally.
- Keith Gow, Theatre First
It’s playing in Melbourne until December 27 and then travels to Perth, where it opens January 7
Photos: Daniel Boud
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