Steadstyle Chicago
January 2010 Theatre Review by Joe Stead
Fiddler on the Roof
"Fiddler on the Roof" is not just a musical play, it is as the song declares a theatre "tradition". I have a long history with "Fiddler," in fact it was the first live play I saw as a child and the first I performed as an actor at 18. It has been such an indelible force in my life I cannot possibly approach it objectively. Indeed, every time I see a new production it feels like a well-worn sweater that never changes even though I do. I preface these remarks to indicate my sincere affection for this oft-produced show, now in a generally faithful and entertaining production by the renowned Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire.
I was anxious to see how it would play in-the-round, and with a few minor exceptions Director David H. Bell did not disappoint me. Ross Lehman is without a doubt one of the finest comedic actors working in Chicago. He's a bit of an offbeat choice for the Jewish milkman, philosopher and patriarch Tevye. Physically he's less imposing and his performance is more gently impish than commanding. It's great to see him stretch as an actor, just as Tevye tries to stretch the boundaries of his traditions to greet a changing world. In the intimacy of the Marriott, some of the quiet moments really stand out, particularly Lehman's moments with his wife and daughters. Paula Scrofano has certainly played more glamorous roles in her illustrious career than her current assignment as the henpecking wife Golde, but like Lehman hers is always a welcome presence on any stage.
There are many things to admire about Bell's crisp, straightforward and unadorned rendition of this beloved classic. Bell's "Dream" is a knockout with the dynamic Heidi Kettenring floating amidst swirling fabric as the butcher's ghostly wife Fruma-Sarah. There is no little irony in the fact that Kettenring is the real life wife of this production's Lazar Wolf, the great David Girolmo, who gets everything out of his supporting character and then some. The same with the delightful James Harms as the Rabbi and the fine Craig Spidle as the Constable. Seeing some of Chicago's finest in minor roles is clearly testament to the high standards of the Marriott's casting pool.
The beautifully staged "Sabbath Prayer" is another highlight as is the always rollicking "To Life". And there is a real sense of menace in the pogrom that ends the first act wedding scene. Bell's staging of the opening "Tradition" number, however, felt extremely awkward with villagers barely avoiding bumping into one another on the crowded stage. Bell's use of the Fiddler (Gregory Hirte actually playing his own instrument and doubling as the Innkeeper Mordcha) in key moments throughout the first act was quite nice. When the violin is literally broken in half during the violent pogrom, so too does the Fiddler disappear. In most productions this symbol of the age-old Jewish traditions and customs reappears at the play's finale as Tevye and his family departs their homeland for ports unknown. Here that symbol of the Jewish faith and traditions is gone, and it's a sad and poignant effect.
I question handing the signature bottle dance to Tevye, the Rabbi and Lazar Wolf. The latter has just been jilted from marrying Tevye's eldest daughter, so why would he be dancing at her wedding? Jessie Mueller, Dara Cameron and Laura Scheinbaum are pretty and generic as the three eldest daughters, believable as sisters if not really distinct individual characters. Andrew Keltz is an appropriately meek and mousy Motel the Tailor, unfortunately his "Miracle of Miracles" is unimpressive. Justin Berkobien is a pleasant enough Perchik although without any of the fire one associates with a student revolutionary. Some of my nitpicking aside, though, this is still one of the best loved musicals of all time and there is no reason why audiences at the Marriott will not continue that tradition.
"Fiddler on the Roof" will continue through April 25, 2010 at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire. The show runs 2 hours 40 minutes with intermission. Performances are Wednesday at 1 p.m. and 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Tickets are $45 and there are student and senior discounts available, but not on Friday and Saturday nights. Dinner packages are available, so call the box office at 847-634-0200 or visit www.Marriotttheatre.com.
About Joe Stead
Joe
Stead has enjoyed a lifelong passion for the theatre, which has
involved acting, directing, producing, designing and reviewing for
the past twenty-five years. He served as founder, producer and
Artistic Director of Curtain Up Productions in Baltimore, Maryland
and Four Star Players in Tampa, Florida. Favorite productions
have included "Life With Father," "Deathtrap,"
"The Odd Couple," "The Miracle Worker,"
"Brighton Beach Memoirs," "You're A Good Man, Charlie
Brown" and "Godspell". He has also performed
leading roles in "Fiddler on the Roof," "Pippin,"
"The Phantom of the Opera," "The Front Page," and
most recently as Hucklebee in "The Fantasticks" for
Waukegan Community Players. Joe holds a degree in Commercial
Art from Tampa Technical Institute. As a critic, he has
reviewed everything from Broadway to community theatre and major
regional theatres throughout the United States including the Kennedy
Center in Washington, D.C., Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey,
Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut, and the Asolo Theatre in
Sarasota, Florida.
Since 1998, he has been a proud resident of Chicago, the greatest theatre city in America. He served for two years as Theatre Editor for College News and Central Newspapers. He created the website Steadstyle Chicago in 2000 to showcase the city's outstanding and diverse theatre scene. Joe was proud to serve alongside a distinguished panel of theatre professionals as a judge for two seasons of Speaking Ring Theatre's "Vitality" Festival of original short plays. His most fulfilling role, in addition to reviewer and all-around theatre fanatic, was as director of the 2007 production of Peter Shaffer's "Equus" at Actors Workshop (now Redtwist) Theatre, which was nominated for five Joseph Jefferson Award Citations and won for Best Actor (Peter Oyloe).
Second Thoughts by Alan Bresloff
There are many musicals that are considered classic works by true theater-goers and over the years, one of these has been "Fiddler On The Roof", the Tony Award winning musical that went on to become one of America's favorites on stage and on film. The book by Joseph Stein is based on the short stories of Sholem Aleichem, in particular "Tevye's Daughters," a story that captures the spirit of the Russian Jews in Russia during the Tsarist Period (1905). The town is Anatevka, and we are witness to the changing times of this period. The story is not just about the Jewish people and their struggle for survival, but also their celebration of the human spirit and of course their "Tradition". In fact, this is the opening song instead of the usual overture, where we meet the people of the town and the "Fiddler on the Roof", who in fact is not truly a real character but a symbol for the tradition that allows these people to survive all of what is thrown at them by the people who have made them their enemies.
Before I get further into the story itself, I must tell you that I was deeply impressed by the production as a whole and found it lacking in just a few areas. One of which was in Director David H. Bell, who also is one of the greatest choreographers in our area and he handles this role as well, in missing a few traditions that are meaningful to the play itself. One is that in the wedding scene, Tzeitel (a sterling job by Jessie Mueller) only circles her new husband Motel (Andrew Keltz, who I think is this character re-incarnated) three times. I have always seen it done seven or eight times, never three. The other error is not truly understanding the "Fiddler" himself, a symbol of everything that has meaning to these people and in particular, Tevye, the Milkman.
When the people of the town are forced to leave, at the very close of the play, Tevye hears the fiddle, but the Fiddler was not there. In most every production I have ever seen, as they depart for America, Tevye looks back, sees the Fiddler (which only he can really see) and summons him to come with. This is his way of saying that they can take away his home and property, they can force him to leave the home that has always been his, but they cannot take away his spirit and what he believes in. This is his tradition, which will follow him to his new life. The other scene I had difficulty with was where Tevye thinks back about his daughters, the three eldest who are now grown in "Chavaleh". She is his third daughter, Chava, played with great feeling by Laura Scheinbaum, who has married outside the faith, breaking all tradition. This song always has a small ballet where each of the daughters that has met her mate dances with happiness and Tevye, when Chava and Fyedka (Patrick Sarb) dance off, he realizes that one of his traditions is gone.
The rest of the direction and choreography was as usual top notch which is what Marriott Theatre audiences expect when they see the name David H. Bell at either of these positions, and in particular when he does both. This is not an easy show to do in the round and on a stage that is somewhat small in size. Thomas M. Ryan's set is crafted to give us the feeling and yet allow smooth scene change transitions and Diane Ferry Williams' lighting is most effective.
The show is about change as each of Tevye's daughters finds something that has always existed but went unspoken, love, and finds their own mate without the aid of the Matchmaker. Rebecca Finnegan tries her best to make this character one that you can care about, but sounds more Brooklyn Irish than Russian Jew, and I always love her work. The other daughter of note is Hodel. Dara Cameron truly will steal your heart and her "Far From The Home I Love" brought a tear to my eye. Her beau is Perchik, deftly handled by Justin Berkobien who shows that he has more range in his arsenal.
Lazar Wolf is handled with great style by David Girolmo and shows off his dancing ability by doing a new interpretation of the bottle dance along with Tevye and the Rabbi (as always James Harms can take any role and make it memorable). This dance scene along with the "To Life" number were worth the price of a ticket alone, but there were many more reasons to drive to Lincolnshire. The wedding itself was beautiful and the "dream scene" a sensation with a special cameo by Heidi Kettenring that will amaze you.
The always reliable Craig Spidle plays the Constable, the Russian who has no choice but to obey orders, but his character does show some heart. It was also great to see Andy Lupp back at The Marriott and his acrobatic dance in the "To Life" number was fun to watch. I certainly don't want to omit the rest of the ensemble members as they make it all complete, so Talia Rawitz, Arielle Dayan, Katie Spellman, Matt Rafferty, Christian Libonati, Jennifer T. Grubb, Devin Archer, Patrick Sarb and Matthew Crowle, great work. A special note about Gregory Hirte who is quite the fiddle player. For years you have seen him at the Goodman for "A Christmas Carol" and he plays a role, with lines as well.
And of course Golde and Tevye. Paula Scrofano is one of Chicago's finest and has proven show after show that there is no role that she cannot make her own. She is delightful to watch and truly shows the emotion of the woman that Golde is. Ross Lehman is probably my most favorite funny man on stage, well, next to Dale Benson. And although I can see that he tries his best, he is first a comedian and then an actor and didn't seem to grasp the true meaning of Tevye and what he represents. While there are many funny scenes for this character they are within the script itself and do not have to be forced which is what I think Lehman did. Many actors who excel at many roles do at one time or another find themselves taking on a role that they don't really get into. One that they don't feel in their soul and heart and although he tries and carries himself well enough, he does not represent the "Everyman" that this character should be. Too much yelling, too much playing the audience with facial gestures and far too camp. Tevye represents us all and Lehman just didn't.
This is a wonderful musical with some of Broadway's greatest songs, "Matchmaker" (without the brooms), "Sunrise, Sunset," "Sabbath Prayer", "If I were a Rich Man" and many more. Under the direction of Doug Peck and his eight musicians you will hear what sounds like a full symphony orchestra. He is a genius! Over the years Marriott has set the standard for bringing quality musical theater to their wonderful suburban location and while this show has some little problems, the production itself and the book and music make this an entertaining experience. The production will continue through April 25th so they have time to work on a few things and make the show even better. I am sure it will reach their usual level.