An epic Fiddler at the Lyric Opera House

[MidWestTheater]

Posted: 9/26/22 at 10:43am

So over the weekend me and my partner ventured out to the Lyric Opera in Chicago to see a new production of Fiddler on the Roof...and holy cow this may be the most epic production of this classic musical I will probably ever see. With a cast of over 60 people and an orchestra of over 50, I don't think I've ever heard this score more powerful and transcendent. Like most of the Lyric Opera musical productions of the past couple years, this production originated in Berlin with artistic director Barrie Kosky at the helm. I saw some  videos of the german production online, and was super intrigued, but totally unprepared to the power of seeing in live.

As opposed to most productions of Fiddler which really use the Chagall paintings as inspiration for the looks and feel, this production feels like your going through your grandparents dresser and stumble on a shoe box filled with the photos of their grand-parents from the Schetel. The lighting design and costumes really do make this production feel like an old-photograph come to life. The set is a massive tower of dressers, armoires, tables, chairs, all piled on top of each other to create the village of Anatevka. Also, the fact that it's on a turn-table (a la Les Misrables) is even more impressive.

With a similar framing device as the last revival, the show starts today but with a kid on an electric scooter with this beats headphones on, he zooms past a stand alone wardrobe closet a few times, but he eventually stops and opens it. What is revealed is basic grandparents closet of old coats, luggage, boxes etc., in the wardrobe he finds a violin case, closes the wardrobe, and begins playing the opening of tradition. ( also, in this production the kid is actually playing the fiddle) As he is playing, he hears knocks from inside the wardrobe, when he re-opens it, Tevye appears, and does his opening monologue, but right when he says the word Tradition, the entire cast comes running through this wardrobe on to the stage. This maybe one of the most electrifying opening numbers I have ever seen on any stage, anywhere. Also, the kid takes on the role as the fiddler through out the show.

I could go on and on about this production, all the performances are terrific. The end of the first act, which is always a gut-punch, is devastating in this production. The stand out numbers are definitely when the whole cast is on stage, To Life and of course the wedding bottle dance are showstoppers.

If you are in Chicago or gonna be here this week or next, go see this production. This is one of the shows where I was hoping PBS was involve to film it for a great performances. I also hope this production is done in other opera companies around the country. 

[JasonC3]

Posted: 9/26/22 at 12:16pm

This rave echoes what I've heard from friends who have seen the production.  It sounds fantastic.  It's up on Goldstar as well:

https://www.goldstar.com/events/chicago-il/fiddler-on-the-roof-tickets-1

We're heading in to see this, the Sweeney production that has drawn raves, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Clydes at the Goodman.  As so often happens in Chicago, an embarrassment of riches when it comes to options.

Updated On: 9/26/22 at 12:16 PM

[Dan6]

Posted: 9/26/22 at 1:27pm

The reviews for this in the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times were extraordinary. I didn’t think I ever needed to see another Fiddler after being blown away by the Yiddish production a few years ago, but I’m making a trip to Chicago next week to see this (and will also catch The Notebook while I’m there). Steven Skybell, who was such a brilliant Tevye in the Yiddish production, is also starring here. 

[MidWestTheater]

Posted: 9/26/22 at 2:11pm

This set is unbelievable, and also it's all real furniture, nothing was built for the show.

A montage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw3WeHUyubY

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 9/26/22 at 2:57pm

That looks stunning. Kinda wish we could have had a version like this on Broadway instead of the Bart Sher revival, which had probably the weakest scenic design of all of Sher’s Bway productions (save for Bridges).

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 9/26/22 at 3:10pm

This looks like such a new production. I LOVED the Bartlett Sher revival, but this looks much more original.

[pethian]

Posted: 9/26/22 at 3:19pm

Dan6 said: "The reviews for this in the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times were extraordinary. I didn’t think I ever needed to see another Fiddler after being blown away by the Yiddish production a few years ago, but I’m making a trip to Chicago next week to see this (and will also catch The Notebook while I’m there). Steven Skybell, who was such a brilliant Tevye in the Yiddish production, is also starring here."

 

My sentiments exactly. I too thought that Yiddish Fiddler was the pinnacle and there was no need to see another production for a good long while. And now I'm really tempted to see this. What a testament to the piece---that whether it's done minimalist and in Yiddish, or on the scale of grand opera, it still can soar.

 

[orlikethecolorpurple]

Posted: 9/26/22 at 3:19pm

Beyond a vague, unexplored, and ultimately abandoned story framing that involves the Fiddler, it really is just a brilliant production. The evening flew by and felt consistently fresh. 

[Ravenclaw]

Posted: 9/26/22 at 3:59pm

Glad others are finding things to enjoy in this production, but I have to be a dissenter here. I found the production to be too massive for its own good, the performances one-note and lacking in nuance and subtext. Between the slow tempos, the bits milked within an inch of their lives, and the never-ending transitions, the 3 hour and 20 minute production was a slog for me. 

For what it's worth, Fiddler is one of my favorite musicals, and I loved just about every minute of the Bartlett Sher production (I did not get to see the Yiddish production). I've previously said that it's impossible not to be moved by Fiddler even in the sloppiest of amateur productions. And yet, this production left me totally cold.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/26/22 at 4:07pm

Literally get into town a day after this closes. Looks incredible. And this is one of my favorite shows. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 9/27/22 at 12:39am

My interest just dipped significantly learning it's 3:20. That must mean the book scenes & tempos are extremely slow or they've added a ton of dance/incidental music?? Fiddler on stage should be an easy 2:50 including intermission.

[Ravenclaw]

Posted: 9/27/22 at 2:55am

To be fair, the intermission is 30 minutes long. But that only partly explains the egregious length. Tempos are often sluggish, transitions are LONG (it takes a long time to spin that giant turntable), scenes are played with little sense of pacing, and the directorial concept involves a couple sections of nonverbal stage action, all of which add time to what is already a quite lengthy show.

[EvanstonDad]

Posted: 9/30/22 at 10:02am

Saw this yesterday. I have only seen about two thirds of the first act of "Fiddler" on stage at the Muny before it got rained out -- otherwise, the movie is my only point of comparison for this show. 

Epic is definitely the right word to describe this production. The first act can't help but bring to mind "Les Miserables" because of the turntable alone. But to me the set for the second act was more breathtaking despite being so much sparer -- it was almost cinematic. I will say the way the turntable was used in the second act made for a powerful "Anatevka."

The audience gave two major ovations that stopped the show, one after "To Life" and the other after the wedding dance. I don't know how the pogrom at the end of act one is usually staged, but I will say that this version was extremely effective. It sounds almost silly to describe on paper but on stage it was shocking and brought the entire theater to utter silence. 

I was worried going in that I would get restless from the length, but I didn't. The second half of the movie really drags a bit -- it's always seemed that "Fiddler" is a very front loaded show, with all the best songs and energetic moments happening early on. That's sort of true of the stage version as well, except that the second act had an emotional wallop that the film doesn't. I found myself tearing up multiple times, and didn't mind that there are so fewer musical moments in act two because the acting was so strong. The set design also helps tremendously in transitioning the show from a celebration of tradition and community into a tragedy about seeing that community destroyed.

Overall a very powerful day at the theater.

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 9/30/22 at 11:00am

Am I heel for sort of being disappointed mid-performance standing ovations has now finally infiltrated the world of opera?

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 9/30/22 at 11:14am

QueenAlice said: "Am I heel for sort of being disappointed mid-performance standing ovations has now finally infiltrated the world of opera?"

I wouldn't say finally infiltrated, so much as returned. Back in the day a mid-show standing ovation for a spectacular aria was not unheard of. Some would get such rapturous applause from the audience that they would simply just sing the aria again (the spontaneous encore)

[EvanstonDad]

Posted: 9/30/22 at 3:13pm

And maybe I should clarify. These weren't standing ovations. These were just long enthusiastic bouts of clapping that went on longer than the usual applause that occurs after songs. The performers had to freeze for quite a while waiting before the scene could continue. 

[OhHiii]

Posted: 9/30/22 at 3:34pm

EvanstonDad said: "And maybe I should clarify. These weren't standing ovations. These were just long enthusiastic bouts of clapping that went on longer than the usual applause that occurs after songs. The performers had to freeze for quite a while waiting before the scene could continue."

That's partially on performers too, they share responsibility for moving the show along. Breaking a freeze is literally how you get it to end.

[Dan6]

Posted: 10/8/22 at 12:34am

I saw the final performance tonight and while there were definitely individual moments and performances that were powerful, overall my wife and I agree with Ravenclaw that it left us mostly cold - which is something we never expected Fiddler would do. Much of that has to do with the length, which tonight was nearly 3:30; although there was a long intermission, there were SO many music cues added or expanded to accompany lengthy scene transitions and non-dialogue stage business that any emotional momentum was routinely broken. And the tempo of many songs (even the slower ones) was unnecessarily slowed down; “Sabbath Prayer” and “Sunrise, Sunset” were downright funereal. The framing device of the fiddler being a modern-day kid on a scooter seemed scattershot and didn’t work for me, nor did the abandonment of the iconic final moment between the fiddler and Tevye. On the positive side, the large ensemble and orchestra made the score sound terrific; Steven Skybell is a wonderful Tevye; there was exciting original (though Robbins-influenced) choreography in “To Life” and the wedding dance; and “Far From the Home I Love” had me bawling as usual. But I urge everyone who missed the Joel Grey-directed Yiddish production in NY to catch its revival next month; for me it will remain not only the iconic “Fiddler,” but one of the most memorable theatrical experiences of my life. 

Updated On: 10/8/22 at 12:34 AM