Fiddler on the Roof- Page 2

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 1/13/05 at 2:13pm

I think Leveaux's production is an interesting lesson on how to stage FIDDLER. By most accounts, the production is less powerful than previous incarnations. Leveaux may have tried to make the piece more universal (as if it wasn't already universal?) by making it less Jewish, but ironically the production has become less identifiable. What makes Jewish so warm, so appealing and so easy to empathize with is how distinctly it depicts time and place -- you can identify with the villagers of Anatevka BECAUSE of their particularities and idiosyncracies. I'm Chinese, but I find that my parents are EXACTLY like Tevye and Golde. They're Jewish, but I recognize the devotion to their culture and lifestyle, and I SEE that very Jewish lifestyle in front of me.

By making it less Jewish, Leveaux takes away the very essence of these characters, leaving the production cold. It was an interesting experiment on his part, but he proves that it doesn't work. FIDDLER is universal because of its particularities.