Fiddler on the Roof

[JakeB]

Posted: 7/8/03 at 4:35pm

I went to see a professional production of Fiddler in England last night and I have to say, it's a very dated show that they tried to do quite modern (obviously not modern dressed, but in terms of orchestrations and stuff). It will be interesting to see how this does on Broadway.. I left the theatre glad it was over, and couldn't have left sooner.

Who will play Tevye on Broadway? Last night it was Paul Nicholas and he very much hammed it up and played the role to the audience rather than taking him seriously - he milked laughter.

[scooter38432]

Posted: 7/8/03 at 4:41pm

I had heard months ago that Alfred Molina was set for the revival of FIDDLER.

I also heard that Victor Garber has been tapped for the TV version.

[Duane Reade]

Posted: 7/8/03 at 4:43pm

Yes, it's definitely Molina. I can't imagine what they're going to do the make the show fresh, if anything.

[TEACHEROFTHEATER]

Posted: 7/8/03 at 4:46pm

jAKEb??? how can Fiddler on the Roof be "dated?" The story takes places around a hundred years ago. Do you understand what we mean when we refer to a show as being "dated." Fiddler on the Roof is not dated. How very silly of you to say so.

[Duane Reade]

Posted: 7/8/03 at 4:53pm

How silly of YOU to say that the year a show is set determines how fresh it is! The show was written almost 40 years ago. Of course it's DATED in some ways...

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 7/8/03 at 7:16pm

Here is a shocker. I have never seen it . If Nathan Lane plays Tevye I might be tempted to see it.

[SONDHEIM8]

Posted: 7/9/03 at 2:31am

Nathan Lane seems to be following in Zero Mostel's footsteps,A FUNNY THING..etc and THE PRODUCERS so FIDDLER would be an obvious choice. I was fortunate enough to see the great Mr. Mostel in a revival of FIDDLER and he was amazing. Nathan would surprise a lot of people if he ever played Teyve.

And who would play Golda? Faith Prince of course!!





LINK: Tracy, you look beautiful behind bars!

TRACY: It must be the low-watt institutional lighting!

[magruder]

Posted: 7/9/03 at 5:21am

DuaneReade/JakeB:

In what ways is it dated?

Updated On: 7/9/03 at 05:21 AM

[BrdwyThtr]

Posted: 7/9/03 at 7:19am

I saw a revival with Theodore Bikel and loved it!

[BillyLawlor]

Posted: 7/9/03 at 10:53am

It's a great musical. Victor Garber playing Tevye frightens me. I think that Faith Prince would make an amazing Golde. And Clay could be Motel I think that was suggested before. But how awesome would that be?

[Duane Reade]

Posted: 7/9/03 at 11:11am

Faith did Golde in the Jerome Robbins Broadway segment, no? Maybe I have that wrong...

[Deannaizme]

Posted: 7/9/03 at 12:09pm

Theodore Bikel was wonderful as Tevye. I saw him a couple of years ago when Fiddler toured and hit San Francisco. He's a little old, though, and wasn't doing anything like the dancing he'd done previously. But his voice and acting were really good.

~D

[TEACHEROFTHEATER]

Posted: 7/9/03 at 2:38pm

duane, that is not what is meant when we refer to a show as being dated.

it is not freshness that being dated refers to.

for instance....................

a show like Bye Bye Birdie is often times these days refered to as "dated" because:

the show is presented as taking place in current day. it is not presented as taking place in a prior time period. therefore...references to current events in Birdie such as "beating the Russians" make the show sound dated. however...this does not mean that a wonderful and indeed FRESH production of Birdie can take place. However, unless some book work is done treating Bye Bye Birdie as a "period confection" it shall forever more be dated.

When Fiddler was created it was done as viewing a prior time in history. There was no allusion to current day events of the the mid 1960s when it premiered. The time in which it took place was already many generations past.

It is difficult for a story that takes place in the distant past to be "dated." However, it clearly happens sometimes based on current mores, tastes and values.

A show like Annie Get Your Gun maintaining the song "I'm an Indian Too" can seem dated to viewers as the song can hit some as offensive to Native Americans and we are much more sensitized to this issue than we were when Annie Get Your Gun premiered.

Be good and Be well:)

[Duane Reade]

Posted: 7/9/03 at 2:45pm

You may be a TEACHER OF THEATER, but you're wrong. That is not the only definition for dated. Nobody's rushing to produce Godspell on Broadway because it's "dated"--too hippy dippy for today's audiences.

What's with your high and mighty tone? I really took offense to you calling JakeB "silly" for his original post. Where are you a TEACHER OF THEATER anyway?

[JakeB]

Posted: 7/9/03 at 2:50pm

I thought it was dated for a musical. Obviously it was written a long time ago but so are shows like My Fair Lady and they're still excellent. It was very much like 'song' then a 'dialogue scene' and then 'song' and then 'dialogue scene'.. it was all too traditional. The dialogue isn't even that great like in Oklahoma for example it follows this pattern but the script holds the audience.

Broadway is a tough place, I don't think this old fashioned thing will go down well.. Oklahoma didn't last that long.

Jake.

[Duane Reade]

Posted: 7/9/03 at 2:51pm

Bravo, Jake. Sometimes students are smarter than teachers! :)

[Dollypop]

Posted: 7/9/03 at 3:06pm

To Duane Reade:

WHAT A DASTARDLY COMMENT TO MAKE!

[magruder]

Posted: 7/9/03 at 3:08pm

"It was all too traditional" does not equal "dated". What in the material itself strikes you as such?

And to say there was a song, and dialogue followed, and then there was a song and dialogue followed... can't you say that's true of any book musical?

[tpdc]

Posted: 7/10/03 at 1:46pm

You think OKLAHOMA's book holds the attention of the audience more than FIDDLER? It sounds like you saw a really terrible production of FIDDLER. I think FIDDLER is a classic show that holds up well in most cases. That doesn't mean that a poorly directed, miscast production couldn't diminish the power of the show. Jerome Robbins' work on FIDDLER is still being copied today. I've seen decent productions of OKLAHOMA where the book scenes bored the audience silly, it was the songs they came for. I've several productions of FIDDLER and the songs and the scenes landed throughout. Maybe the Molina revival will give audiences a fresh look at the show. And if they want to make another movie of it as well, there must be a lot of people who think the show and the subject matter aren't dated.

[FrontRow]

Posted: 7/10/03 at 3:03pm

Nathan Lane has played Zero Mostel's parts in PRODUCERS and FORUM, but they mostly required clowning. FIDDLER requires serious, poignant (and non-effeminate) acting in addition to the humor. I can't imagine Lane playing the role convincingly. Remember the disaster with his sitcom where he was supposed to be a womanizer? Why would he be more successful as an old-fashioned father of five?

I do like the idea of Faith Prince as Golde.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 7/10/03 at 10:01pm

When the new production of FIDDLER plays its out-of-town engagement, will it be known as FIDDLER ON THE ROAD?

[IssaMe]

Posted: 7/11/03 at 9:43am

Bikel was wonderful - even as he approaches 80. He's toured in Fiddler for years and has played the role more than anyone else.

Although he isn't doing it on Broadway (he should have been cast!), he'll be appearing around the country in the play "The Chosen" next season.

[BrdwyThtr]

Posted: 7/11/03 at 10:07am

I totally disagree with Duane. Godspell is not a dated show. They did a off-Broadway production in 2000 and really modernized it.

[sondheimfreak]

Posted: 7/13/03 at 11:11am

Speaking of boring books:Has anyone recently seen "Music Man?" I think that some of the dialogue that Marian and Harold share right before they're going to the Footbridge is boring. And it is a traditional type of musical too.