FIDDLER ON THE ROOF Reviews- Page 3

[Stage Door Sally]

Posted: 12/28/15 at 9:55am

Saw the show Saturday night, apparently Danny Burstein's last performance before he called out sick on Sunday.
 

Overall we thought the production was terrific and Burstein was fantastic as a concerned serious Tevye, while still effectively hitting the comic notes.
 

I didn't tell my husband or daughter about the comments on the preview thread. But husband agreed with the criticism about the sets. After the show, he mentioned how they looked cheap and were not worthy of a Broadway price tag. My daughter noticed how Jessica Hecht's accent slipped in and out of Brooklynese. Both thought Matchmaker was too somber. None of those things bothered me in the least. However, we all agreed that Ben Rappaport was a poor choice for Perchik because he can't carry a tune very well.
 

Overall, a very nice production.

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 12/28/15 at 6:40pm

"The sound in the show isn't the best. I kept having trouble hearing things. I went to a late preview and I was surprised that they hadn't fixed it by then."

 

Is it possible that's a choice? Laura Osnes was rather quiet in South Pacific and the first time I saw this production of The King and I, I was thrown off by how quiet it sounded compared to other shows. 

[bwayfan4life]

Posted: 12/28/15 at 9:35pm

The dance numbers are the best part. The rest is a little boring to those that have seen it before. For a newcomer, it would be a great experience, the show itself is Broadway legend and for good reason.

[theatreguy12]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 9:10am

Interesting observations, Sally.   I'm curious about the sets, as many things on this board (mostly critical) have been said about the set design.  Was there a reason behind it?  Has Sher or anyone aligned with the musical said anything about the vision behind the sets.  I've read a few articles on the revival and can't remember reading anything about the intentions behind the set design. Or maybe I just don't remember.

Regarding "Matchmaker" though.  I did see an interview with Sher and the way the song is played is intentional it seems.  He wanted it less whimsical and more serious and contemplative. How that is welcomed, I guess, will play largely off individual opinions.  I have no problem with it being played either way.  I'm seeing it in early spring though, so looking forward to seeing how it resonates with me.

[Copperfield2]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 11:07am

Haven't seen the sets in person yet but I guess I assumed the airiness of the design was a direct tribute the painting of Chagall?

[Copperfield2]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 11:09am

I wouldn't count out She Loves Me in the category of Best Musical Revival, though I don't know if Scott Ellis will surprise us with anything too audacious.

Updated On: 12/29/15 at 11:09 AM

[Musical Master]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 8:02pm

I saw this and The King and I last weekend (earlier than I thought due to an old friend of mine giving me early tickets).

 

I'm with PalJoey on this production and I agree with him 100%. Burstein is wonderful and warm, Hect is well cast as Goldie and everyone else giving it their all in Bartlett Sher's stunning and intriguing revival of Fiddler on the Roof. Now is it as good as the powerful and forever ingrained in my head revival of The King and I that Sher directed? Well even I could say that no matter what Sher and his crew would do with Fiddler, it would never be on the same level, that's just impossible. But they did a wonderful job all the way, even Hofesh Shecter's somewhat new choreography was well done while giving tribute to Jerome Robbins at the same time; Catherine Zuber's costumes were well designed and fit perfectly with the characters, Donald Holder's lighting design is phenomenally gorgeous, and even Michael Yergan's set designs were very good (hate to disagree with some on here) and it felt like Marc Chagall and Boris Aronson were watching over Yeargan when he was doing his own unique take of the show (even though we have seen the wall opening up to symbolize uncertainty concept with The King and I already). A great shout out to the 21 or so piece orchestra sounding so large and lush in a cavernous theater like the Broadway.

 

I say go see this and The King and I while you're in NYC, you won't regret it.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 8:28pm

I would suggest people going to see this, or who have aiready seen this, google Marc Chagall. His paintings are indeed "airy" and gravity really plays no part in his world, nor true perspective. Fiddlers fly!

 

[Musical Master]

Posted: 12/29/15 at 9:41pm

SNAFU said: "I would suggest people going to see this, or who have aiready seen this, google Marc Chagall. His paintings are indeed "airy" and gravity really plays no part in his world, nor true perspective. Fiddlers fly!"

 

I agree SNAFU, I actually liked the fact that this time around that Michael Yeargan did not take a literal approach to the sets for Fiddler on the Roof even in their spareness there is rich, lush ideas behind it, just like what Yeargan did with The King and I.

[Caitiecait92]

Posted: 1/3/16 at 4:12pm

I am hopefully going this month and I can't wait to see it. I heard wonderful reviews about Danny. I heard that this role is taking a toll on Danny's voice since he is not use to being the lead in a musical. Has anyone seen him perform recently? Or has his understudy been going on for him? 

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 1/4/16 at 8:22am

Man, I loved this production.   Just about everything about it.  

But for the first time ever I wondered about something.  The expulsion of Jews from the fictional Anetevke and other villages, was it Aleichem's invention, either something he saw coming or something he used as a narrative device?

Of course the persecution portrayed in Fiddler is historically accurate.  Pogroms were often in fact much more violent than those portrayed in the show   In addition there were other edicts of expulsion (e.g., from Russia proper into the Pale of Settlement (the areas of Imperial Russia which included Anetevke), 1791, and the Kiev Edict, 1886).  The persecution, among other things, resulted in mass immigration (my own family's included).  But thousands of Jews remained, a great many of whom perished during the Revolution and thousands of whom were exterminated by the Nazis.    

 

Updated On: 1/4/16 at 08:22 AM

[AndersonTours]

Posted: 1/4/16 at 9:48am

I saw the show yesterday matinee and spoke with Danny at the door. He said he caught a cold and missed one show the week before. 

The show is brilliant, btw.  How he does 8 a week is beyond me. I saw the show late in previews and it's grown so much since then. Just a beautiful production of one of my favorite shows. Funny, but played more real than I've ever seen it. Haunting. 

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 1/4/16 at 10:07am

I saw the same performance, Anderson, and very much agree.  This is a superb production and much of what I have heard on this thread I simply disagree with or, as you said, the show has grown so much since its been reported here that it no longer applies.   

I loved Hecht's performance, and while, no she is not a great singer, it does not matter in the least.  I only occasionally found her accent pushed and I certainly didn't find it inconsistent with the cast as a whole.

The framing device wasn't easy for me at first, but on reflection I found it very powerful.   For me it underscores that the fiddler, who is so often an apparent proxy for tradition's continuance, means something much more complex.   Yes, tradition continues but it also evolves.  And the fiddler on the roof is, as the script says but as is rarely if ever made as clear as it is here, that bittersweet shakiness between tradition and change.   

Burstein is a marvelous Tevye.  Sher's direction as assured and revelatory as it was in South Pacific and King and I, honoring tradition in a classic with just the right amount of innovation.  No where is this goal better realized than in the outstanding choreography.  I agree that one part of the set, the exterior of Tevye and Golde's house, didn't work well, as it has, at least as lit, an undefined look (particularly the two dimensional shuttered windows), and I'm not sure if an interesting bit of business for Lazar on his exit was persuasively true to character, but these are incidental reservations.   I loved this production.

Updated On: 1/4/16 at 10:07 AM

[Kad]

Posted: 1/4/16 at 10:13am

Henrik-

I actually found that bit of business for Lazar Wolf to be very moving.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 1/4/16 at 10:31am

I know, Kad.  And I think it could work, but for some reason I had trouble believing it.  Perhaps it's tricky and maybe it just didn't land for me in the performance I saw.  Frankly, I wasn't quite sure what was happening in the moment.

Updated On: 1/4/16 at 10:31 AM

[Stage Door Sally]

Posted: 1/4/16 at 10:32am

I agree, while there may have been some little things to complain about, the truth is this is an excellent production! It should be remembered at Tony time!

[Musical Master]

Posted: 1/4/16 at 2:07pm

I think the battle for the Best Revival of a Musical is between Fiddler on the Roof and the excellently well received The Color Purple (maybe Spring Awakening can sneak in the race even though it will close before June). I too think this was an excellent production of Fiddler on the Roof even though I think Bartlett Sher's masterful revival of The King and I is still better.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 1/4/16 at 2:12pm

Don't count out that other Bock/Harnick show beginning previews next month..

[Musical Master]

Posted: 1/4/16 at 2:33pm

Oh yeah this year's revival of She Loves Me. That's right, I almost forgot about that one.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 1/4/16 at 2:35pm

There are two kinds of people in this world.  Those who could forget an upcoming revival of She Loves Me and..... 

lol

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/7/16 at 4:03pm

 

Excellent, excellent article in yesterday's NY Times about Hofesh Schecter and his Fiddler choreography.

 

New York Times: In ‘Fiddler,’ a Balancing Act to Rival Tevye’s

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/arts/dance/in-fiddler-a-balancing-act-to-rival-tevyes.html

 

 

[bfreak]

Posted: 1/11/16 at 11:13am

I saw the show yesterday, and I was floored. From the moment it started all the way to the end I was mesmerized. I really felt like it was close to a PERFECT production. I loved the staging, design, and modern twist to the show.

 

Danny Burstein is a phenomenal Tevye. His heart and endearance (in a part that could sometimes be played as cartoonish) was over top powerful and relatable to me. I am in the camp who really enjoyed Jessica Hecht. She brought some great heart to Golde, while still maintaining the slightly rough exterior of the character. All three of the sisters were amazing, and did Matchmaker perfectly.

 

I thought that both Adam Kantor and Ben Rappaport were very well cast. While Ben Rappaport doesn't have the greatest singing voice in the world, both actors brought great depth and sympathy to their characters. Adam Kantor did Miracle of Miracles spot on. This is just such a great production, and I hope it lasts a long time. It was sold out yesterday and I was happy to see that.

 

By the way, for anyone interested, I stage doored and that was a great experience. It literally was me, my family, and one other group of three waiting which was great. Everyone came out and was willing to sign and take pictures. They were all so kind and took their time to talk and hang out a while. I was surprised that Danny Burstein was the first to came out, as he was out after about 10-15 minutes. I didn't get Jessica Hecht, but I think she might have come out while I was talking to another cast member and I just didn't realize. Overall it took about 45 minutes in total to get everyone.

Updated On: 1/11/16 at 11:13 AM

[ethan231h]

Posted: 1/31/16 at 11:06am

Saw the show last night. I really don't know where to begin, it just seemed incredibly inconsistent. For example, in some scenes there was a ton of sets and in other scenes practically no set, like make up you mind. I did really like the

 

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steps that the villagers walk up through that was all the way upstage

. The performances were all great and for me Jessica Hecht was my favorite of all. 

Next, what was up with the dream scene. Sher honestly could've done so much more with that. Why was Frumah Sarah on that big thing, why? why? why? I really didn't get that. And why why why

 

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did the brick backdrop go up as they leave anatevka

. why? It just didn't make sense.

 

Dont ger me wrong I thought the show was great but just like why with a lot of things. The dancing is great but theres not a ton of it in my opinion. 

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 2/5/16 at 11:31am

I saw the show last night and while I was disappointed at how Sher at times seemed determined to squash the humorous, vaudeville-inspired parts of the show, and also didn't think the framing device worked, I still cried my way through most of the second act. 

I agree that "If I Were a Rich Man" was not the show-stopper it should be, and Burstein (or Sher's) decision to make it a daydreamy monologue didn't really work. However I thought Tevye's Dream was magnificently staged and so was Chava's Dream.

My complete thoughts here:

http://poisonivywalloftext.blogspot.com/2016/02/fiddler-on-roof.html

[Seperite]

Posted: 2/7/16 at 8:15am

Finally saw Fiddler last night, and the framing device made me cry. I thought it was absolutely beautiful.

The man in the parka represents the modern, American, secularized Jew. In the opening scene, he opens the story of his spiritual forebears with bemused curiosity. By the end, even though he certainly does not live the life that they lived, with all of their old-world 'traditions' and customs and manner of dress, he recognizes himself as being part of their legacy. He motions to the Fiddler -- who represents the traditional Jewish way of life -- not to stay behind in Anatevka, a town stripped of its Jews, but to instead come with his people as they journey to a strange new world. And though the man in the parka is a contemporary American -- secular, bareheaded, wearing modern clothes -- he, too, joins the procession of his people, recognizing that he, too, is one of them, and that those traditions, those clothes, that way of life, is part of his legacy. He shares their destiny, their fate, and he respects and recognizes that that way of life is part of him.

If you're a Jew -- or, I would imagine, a person of any minority religious or cultural tradition who has struggled with maintaining a balance between your contemporary, Western life and respect for your heritage -- it is an enormously poignant, beautiful moment. Perhaps particularly so for Jews, one of the few minority groups in America whose numbers have not increased since the END of World War II -- not because of persecution or genocide, but because of rampant intermarriage, and a near-ubiquitous willingness to shed "tradition"s in favor of being as Americanized as possible. I was literally crying.