FIDDLER ON THE ROOF National Tour- Page 2

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 10/27/18 at 6:20am

Somehow I missed reading this earlier BWW review...

https://www.broadwayworld.com/central-new-york/article/BWW-Review-FIDDLER-ON-THE-ROOF-National-Tour-Previews-at-The-Landmark-Theatre-20181018

[DonnaHoke]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 9:16am

It is indeed a gorgeous production, and had I not read here it was a non-union tour, I wouldn't have guessed. There is only one weak link in the cast, and I won't even say who it is, because it'll be patently obvious when you see the show. I couldn't understand how that bit of casting happened, but knowing it's non-union explains a little bit.

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 12:12pm

Did anyone happen to see if they are selling window cards on this tour? I’m guessing not. Any other items of interest at the souvenir stand?

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 11/1/18 at 2:23pm

^They are. It’s the Broadway windowcard.

They’re also selling two books (The titles are escaping me but one is the book the show is based on and the other is a history of Fiddler), a tote bag that says a little bit of this, a little bit of that on one side and the Fiddler logo on the back, a mug, the revival cast album, a hoodie, a Right, Of Course right t-shirt, a logo t-shirt, and a hat. I maybe missing some things but that’s all I remember when I went to buy the tote bag.

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 11/1/18 at 2:56pm

This production was absolutely fabulous. I would not have known it was non-equity - best non-eq tour I've seen. How I wish I could have seen this with the original revival cast. Lazarov is an excellent Tevye, and all three main daughters were terrific. Especially after the events in Pittsburgh this weekend, the production is incredibly timely.

That being said - the actress playing Yente is ACTIVELY HORRIBLE. One of the worst performances I've seen in such a large production.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 11/1/18 at 3:39pm

Although I understand why people are making a big deal out of it being a non-Equity cast, since many non-Equity tours are filled with kids fresh out of college who aren't really experienced enough yet to be Broadway level in quality, Fiddler might actually be one of those shows - like Rent, 42nd Street, and Cats - that actually needs a lot of actors in their early/mid-twenties, who even if they are Equity, aren't very experienced anyway. Equity is a bigger issue when it comes to characters who are supposed to be middled aged or older, or which are huge roles that carry the entire show. They got an age-appropriate, seasoned Tevye, so it works out I guess.

 

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 11/1/18 at 5:18pm

ClumsyDude15 said: "^They are. It’s the Broadway windowcard.

They’re also selling two books (The titles are escaping me but one is the book the show is based on and the other is a history of Fiddler), a tote bag that says a little bit of this, a little bit of that on one side and the Fiddler logo on the back, a mug, the revival cast album, a hoodie, a Right, Of Course right t-shirt, a logo t-shirt, and a hat. I maybe missing some things but that’s all I remember when I went to buy the tote bag. "

 

THANK YOU!!! Sounds GREAT! Very much looking forward to collecting a few more items. 

[maxd]

Posted: 11/2/18 at 8:23am

Another review

https://www.broadwayworld.com/national-tours/article/BWW-Review-FIDDLER-ON-THE-ROOF-at-Sheas-Buffalo-Theatre-20181031

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 11/20/18 at 8:36pm

The “Fiddler on the Roof” tour starts it’s Pittsburgh run tonight, but I have to wait until the Sunday matinee. Has anyone else seen it since the (thread linked below) Baltimore incident? Any other insights or reviews? 

 https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=1113323#5103270

[Markecib]

Posted: 11/20/18 at 11:02pm

Probably not the popular opinion, but I didn’t like this production. I felt no emotional connection to anything in the show.

“To Life” looked sloppy and the wedding scenes also.

It’s hard to describe what I didn’t like as the cast was fine for the most part, though the Yente was horrible.

The last scene is dragged out so long, it would’ve been great if it felt like something. The direction and choreography were all over the place for me I guess.

Like I said the cast is fine. The orchestra sounded great. So yeah, not the best show for me.

Tip for Pittsburgh, new security is in place with metal detectors. Give yourself a little time to get in. I had no issues and the process was handledk well and there’s a bunch of new security workersi who were really friendly and directing people to lanes once you get thru the entrance queue, yes there is an entrance queue for patrons with bags, but there is an express lane for those without.

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 11/24/18 at 12:03pm

^ ^ ^ Thank you for your thoughts on the show. Looking forward to heading up to Pittsburgh tomorrow to see the matinee performance. Sad to see in the news another report of someone threatening the safety and security of theater goers...

https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2018/11/23/man-fires-bb-gun-benedum-fiddler-on-the-roof/

Tomorrow I’m also going to visit the PPG Wintergarden early in the morning before the crowds gets too dense. I’ve always enjoyed the amazing holiday displays there, as well as hitting up the Pittsburgh Christmas Market at Market Square in downtown, full of it’s merchandise and goodies, and last but not least, the beautiful Pittsburgh Creche Nativity Scene. 

As far as arriving early at the theater, I’m always there when the doors open 1-hour before the show, and the security checkpoints are even a better reason to get in ahead of the crowd. That, and the 50% off drinks that they’re offering up to 30 minutes before showtime. I also like browsing the souvenirs, people watching at the Benedum Center for the Perfoming Arts, and finding a comfortable place to hang out for a few minutes before they open the house doors. 

Updated On: 11/24/18 at 12:03 PM

[JoseLee_]

Posted: 11/24/18 at 3:25pm

I hope the actors are great by the time they come to LA.

[rebeccmam31]

Posted: 11/25/18 at 9:35am

dmwnc1959 said: "^ ^ ^ Thank you for your thoughts on the show. Looking forward to heading up to Pittsburgh tomorrow to see the matineeperformance. Sad to see in the news another report of someonethreatening the safety and securityof theater goers...

https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2018/11/23/man-fires-bb-gun-benedum-fiddler-on-the-roof/

Tomorrow I’m also going to visit the PPG Wintergarden early in the morning before the crowds gets too dense. I’ve always enjoyed the amazing holidaydisplays there, as well as hitting up the Pittsburgh Christmas Market at Market Square in downtown,full of it’s merchandise and goodies, and last but not least, the beautifulPittsburgh Creche Nativity Scene.

As far as arriving early at the theater, I’m always there when the doors open 1-hour before the show, and the security checkpoints are even a better reason to get in ahead of the crowd. That, and the 50% off drinks that they’re offering up to 30 minutes before showtime. I also like browsing the souvenirs,people watching at the Benedum Center for the Perfoming Arts, and finding a comfortable place to hang out for a few minutes before they open the house doors."

I was at the matinee yesterday, and we found that the new security measures worked very smoothly. It really didn't add much time to our entry at all. I hope you have a similar experience and really enjoy the show today!

[sppunk]

Posted: 11/25/18 at 10:15am

Realized I never posted about the show itself. We saw this its last show in Baltimore. We saw the “original” Broadway version this tour is based off with Danny Bernstein. 

Honestly I enjoyed the tour more than the Bway version, I found the ensemble much better and the main cast just as good. Bernstein was better than his touring counterpart, but for the rest it’s at least a wash. 

To be fair I’m not a big fan of this revival.

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 11/25/18 at 11:37am

rebeccmam31 said: "I  at the matinee yesterday, and we found that the new security measures worked very smoothly. It really didn't add much time to our entry at all. I hope you have a similar experience and really enjoy the show today!"

At the front of the Benedum Center now waiting to get in, the front main doors will open at 11:45am for the 1pm show, and there’s already a line of several dozen people. There’s three rope lanes on the outside of the building: one for handicap accessible searches, one for no bags, and the longest for those who have bags that will be searched. There’s another line specifically for those who need to pick-up their tickets, and that’s on the far right of the main entranceway. 

 

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 11/25/18 at 11:58am

At this performance we have:

Tevye - Danny Arnold
Hodel - Kelly Gabrielle Murphy
Mordcha - Nicholas Berke
Rivka - Leah Platt

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 11/25/18 at 12:09pm

And for those that collect window cards this one is slightly different: the Broadway Theater name is not at the bottom, instead the names of the production staff, book/lyric, and various credits for the tour; and in the top left corner in capital letters:

“AN ENTIRELY FRESH, FUNNY & GORGEOUS NEW PRODUCTION.
A REASON FOR CELEBRATION”
New York Magazine

Otherwise the artwork is identical to that of the Broadway Theater.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 11/25/18 at 12:27pm

For those who have seen the tour, how are the opening moments of Tradition staged? On Broadway, a house rose up from the pit at the back of the stage and kept on ascending up out of the audience's view, and then the entire cast climbed the steps out of the giant pit and began to sing. I am curious how the opening is staged without the pit at the back of the stage.

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 11/25/18 at 12:47pm

Right now all I see is a gray brick wall with the name of the town on it “ANATEVKA” in what appears to be Cyrillic alphabet up in the right corner of the wall, with a single chair stage-right at the front. I’m sure that’ll disappear as soon as The Prologue ends and “Tradition” begins.

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 11/25/18 at 2:55pm

bwayphreak234 said: "For those who have seen the tour, how are the opening moments of Tradition staged? On Broadway, a house rose up from the pitat the back of the stage and kept on ascending up out of the audience's view, and then the entire cast climbed the steps out of the giant pit and began to sing. I am curious how the opening is staged without the pit at the back of the stage."

 

The gray brick back wall has stayed there for the entire first act. Tevye starts his Prologue and the Fiddler enters at the back of stage-left, and crosses to stage-right as he plays and exits. The entire cast then enter from either side of the stage - half from stage-left and half from stage-right.

At the end of “Tradition” everyone exits the stage to either side and the Fiddler comes from stage-right, crosses, and stops at the edge of stage-left, and when Tevye sings “"Tradition. Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as... as a fiddler on the roof!", the Fiddler exits stage left.

There are various set pieces rolled around to which the Papas, Mamas, Daughters, and Sons emerge from as the song “Tradition” plays. 

 

[Sondheimite]

Posted: 11/25/18 at 3:07pm

It's a shame that the opening number can't be performed like it was on Broadway.

There was something so theatrically magical about the Fiddler soaring through the air right before a huge full orchestra bounded into Tradition while it looked as if the characters were stepping out of the ground of the past to tell their story.  A truly magic theatrical moment.

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 11/25/18 at 7:47pm

There may be spoilers ahead. Just saying.

Let me start this little review by saying again that I’ve never seen any of the Broadway versions, the movie, or read the book.

I have seen a few clips of performances, like when it was at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2015, and of “Miracle of Miracles” and “Now I Have Everything” being sung (outside of the show) at an interview.

For the past five weeks I’ve intermittently been listening to the OBCR with Zero Mostel as Tevye, as well as two more listenings on the drive up to Pittsburgh.

And as mentioned earlier in the thread, we had several understudies, including Danny Arnold in the lead as Tevye.

Despite the new security measures and metal detectors the show started exactly on time and with a nearly sold out audience.

The orchestra, singing, and dance choreography were very, very, very well done.

“Tradition” was very enjoyable and quite powerful to watch, and it turns out to be my second favorite song of the night. “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” started off at about half-tempo from the one I had been listening to on the OBCR, but picked up the pace about halfway through. “Sunrise, Sunset” was so beautifully done I choked up and had tears in my eyes. And the wedding sequence was absolutely wonderful. The backdrop they used could have been a lot better - something that dropped down in front of the gray brick wall - but it is what it is. Not sure why they couldn’t have had something less cheap looking. But it didn’t really spoil this magnificent part of the show.

The dream sequence was also quite well done, and the costumes were fairly wicked looking.

As for the dancing, a lot of it was simply outstanding. There were times the choreography was spot on and gorgeous, and at other times it looked chaotic and random, but it seemed fit the scene it was in at that time: for instance, in part of “To Life” (in the bar) and in “The Wedding” (when they danced) when several of the individual cast would break away for a moment and do their own thing. More like in real life.

And the “Bottle Dance” was breathtaking. It started off with a single man placing the bottle on his head and dancing. One became two, and then slowly a third joined in. It was at this point one of the dancers had the bottle fall off, but I’m not quite sure if that was intended or not by the way the cast reacted - they loudly exclaimed “OHHHHHH!” and clapped. The three danced, then three became four, and five. Then the BIG dance sequence started and it was simply quite impressive how high they could lift and turn their legs from a kneeling position. Overall an amazing display of choreography.

As for the acting, all of it was truly very good. Danny Arnold as Tevye was superb, and I couldn’t have been more satisfied with his performance. Carol Beaugard as Yente must have stepped up her game tremendously from earlier posted comments, because she enunciated and used inflections to where she was as good as the one in the OBCR. The only one I really didn’t care for was Jeff Brooks as the Constable. But maybe that had to do more with the sternness of the part he played.

The set design was rather simple, with set pieces being rolled on and off the stage by the actors, or dropped from the overhead. The two different backdrops that dropped down - one for “Sunrise, Sunset” and the other for “Tevye’s Dream” - were not big enough to cover the gray brick wall behind them, so it came off as sort of cheap looking.

The finale sequence of “Anatevka” after they left town and started the journey to their new homes was particularly confusing to me. The gray brick wall backdrop that had been there the entire show was raised to reveal a very bright, white, backlit screen. They basically marched around in a circle several times, a few went into the middle and danced a little bit then rejoined the circling line of people, the Fiddler came out and played a quick tune, Tevye and the Fiddler approached each other from opposite sides of the stage, patted each other on the back, joined the line, and the house lights went down. Maybe someone can explain that one to me.

Overall, I thought this show excellent considering the emphasis so many had put in the non-Equity aspect of it when first announced. As someone mentioned earlier, if I hadn’t known it was a non-Equity tour I would have NEVER guessed that it was.

Lots of really great songs, amazing dancing, and overall an absolutely wonderful show.

I took pictures of the stage at the beginning of Act 1 and then again at Act 2, as well as the souvenir stand, which I’ll post a link to tomorrow.

Updated On: 11/25/18 at 07:47 PM

[Sondheimite]

Posted: 11/25/18 at 7:51pm

dmwnc1959 said: "

The finale sequence of “Anatevka” after they left town and started the journey to their new homes was particularly confusing to me. The gray brick wall backdrop that had been there the entire show was raised to reveal a very bright, white, backlit screen. They basically marched around in a circle several times, a few went into the middle and danced a little bit then rejoined the circling line of people, the Fiddler came out and played a quick tune, Tevye and the Fiddler approached each other from opposite sides of the stage, patted each other on the back, joined the line, and the house lights went down. Maybe someone can explain that one to me."

I always saw it as the circle of suffering that the Jewish people have endured.  A never broken continual cycle that should not be forgotten! 

 

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 11/25/18 at 7:54pm

Sondheimite said: "I always saw it as the circle of suffering that the Jewish people have endured. A never broken continual cycle that should not be forgotten!”

 

That makes sense. Thank you! 

[BwayLB]

Posted: 11/25/18 at 9:16pm

dmwnc1959 said: "There may be spoilers ahead. Just saying.

Let me start this little review by saying again that I’ve never seen any of the Broadway versions, the movie, or read the book.

I have seen a few clips of performances, like when it was at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2015, and of “Miracle of Miracles” and “Now I Have Everything” being sung (outside of the show) at an interview.

For the past five weeks I’ve intermittently been listening to the OBCR with Zero Mostel as Tevye, as well as two more listenings on the drive up to Pittsburgh.

And as mentioned earlier in the thread, we had several understudies, including Danny Arnold in the lead as Tevye.

Despite the new security measures and metal detectors the show started exactly on time and with a nearly sold out audience.

The orchestra, singing, and dance choreography were very, very, very well done.

“Tradition” was very enjoyable and quite powerful to watch, and it turns out to be my second favorite song of the night. “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” started off at about half-tempo from the one I had been listening to on the OBCR, but picked up the pace about halfway through. “Sunrise, Sunset” was so beautifully done I choked up and had tears in my eyes. And the wedding sequence was absolutely wonderful. The backdrop they used could have been a lot better - something that dropped down in front of the gray brick wall - but it is what it is. Not sure why they couldn’t have had something less cheap looking. But it didn’t really spoil this magnificent part of the show.

The dream sequence was also quite well done, and the costumes were fairly wicked looking.

As for the dancing, a lot of it was simply outstanding. There were times the choreography was spot on and gorgeous, and at other times it looked chaotic and random, but it seemed fit the scene it was in at that time: for instance, in part of “To Life” (in the bar) and in “The Wedding” (when they danced) when several of the individual cast would break away for a moment and do their own thing. More like in real life.

And the “Bottle Dance” was breathtaking. It started off with a single man placing the bottle on his head and dancing. One became two, and then slowly a third joined in. It was at this point one of the dancers had the bottle fall off, but I’m not quite sure if that was intended or not by the way the cast reacted - they loudly exclaimed “OHHHHHH!” and clapped. The three danced, then three became four, and five. Then the BIG dance sequence started and it was simply quite impressive how high they could lift and turn their legs from a kneeling position. Overall an amazing display of choreography.

As for the acting, all of it was truly very good. Danny Arnold as Tevye was superb, and I couldn’t have been more satisfied with his performance. Carol Beaugard as Yente must have stepped up her game tremendously from earlier posted comments, because she enunciated and used inflections to where she was as good as the one in the OBCR. The only one I really didn’t care for was Jeff Brooks as the Constable. But maybe that had to do more with the sternness of the part he played.

The set design was rather simple, with set pieces being rolled on and off the stage by the actors, or dropped from the overhead. The two different backdrops that dropped down - one for “Sunrise, Sunset” and the other for “Tevye’s Dream” - were not big enough to cover the gray brick wall behind them, so it came off as sort of cheap looking.

The finale sequence of “Anatevka” after they left town and started the journey to their new homes was particularly confusing to me. The gray brick wall backdrop that had been there the entire show was raised to reveal a very bright, white, backlit screen. They basically marched around in a circle several times, a few went into the middle and danced a little bit then rejoined the circling line of people, the Fiddler came out and played a quick tune, Tevye and the Fiddler approached each other from opposite sides of the stage, patted each other on the back, joined the line, and the house lights went down. Maybe someone can explain that one to me.

Overall, I thought this show excellent considering the emphasis so many had put in the non-Equity aspect of it when first announced. As someone mentioned earlier, if I hadn’t knownit was a non-Equity tour I would have NEVER guessed that it was.

Lots of really great songs, amazing dancing, and overall an absolutely wonderful show.

I took pictures of the stage at the beginning of Act 1 and then again at Act 2, as well as the souvenir stand, which I’ll post a link to tomorrow."

Hate to switch topic butternut are you seeing Charlie?