Posted: 11/26/15 at 2:12am
Far from any knowledge of accents. Minsk or whatever. It would be hard to believe it was great.
maybe Whizzer is so ferklempt from production, he is overwhelmed
All of you are counting on his thoughts
Posted: 11/26/15 at 8:27am
Re: Sound.
It registered as quieter and subtler than most shows for me too, but thank GOD for that. How rare to feel like I'm in the room, even though the room is so big. So many over-amplified or tinny shows lately.
Posted: 11/26/15 at 8:41am
I was indeed verkelmpt after the show last night- Jessica Hecht in particular just slayed me from Do You Love Me? on- and Bartlett has made the final scene so quiet and beautiful, despite the bleakness of the plot, that even after seeing it less than 48 hours earlier I cried more the second time than the first.
When they announced this Fiddler revival I thought the same thing when the three previous revivals this season were announced: why now? (Or in the case of Dames of Sea, simply why?) Spring Awakening, The Color Purple and Fiddler on the Roof have all been seen too recently on Broadway, so what gives bringing them back now? It turns out all three productions are worthy of being back on Broadway and the reason to see all three is because of the directors' respective visions. Doyle had the most Herculean task simply because his was the weakest material to begin with, but if he impressed my mind, Sher stole my heart. The man is a godsend to the theater with his knack of bringing material back to its emotional bones and laying that bare for the audience to experience classic works in fresh, new ways.
I normally cringe when I hear a framing device has been placed on a show, but Sher's idea of having Burstein be one of Tevye's descendant was inspired and has big emotional payoff at the end. I loved having the cast walk up out of the pit upstage, like they were spirits being summoned from the dead to tell their ancestor the story of their shtetl. Dreams and the wishes of dead relatives play such a large role in Fiddler so it seems fitting that the entire play is taking place as a dream to pass along the story of Anatevka to a new generation.
Tradition one of the great opening numbers in the history of musical theater. The choreography, the full-sounding orchestra, the lyrics, the performances- I have goosebumps all over again just thinking about it. Sometimes I take for granted how good the scores are to these old classics because, of course, we've all heard the songs so many times that it's easy to forget how vital they are played in a production and how geniusly crafted they were by Bock and Harnick. Stein's book is a wonder of wonders too; like Hello, Dolly! and Guys and Dolls, Fiddler is damn near indestructible in its exquisite creation.
Burstein's Tevye is far less hammy and shticky than others I've seen. He's still very funny and warm, but in a grounded, earthy way. I loved his transition of reactions from Tzeitel to Hodel to Chava's engagements. Tevye even remarks how when you pull one thread the whole world starts to unravel and you get the sense throughout of Tevye's world disintegrating around him until it finally is literally taken away from him. Another key to his performance is who effortless he makes the role feel. He's on stage for the good part of a three hour musical and he makes it look so easy.
Hecht is essentially a non-singer, but she sounded more assured the second time I saw her than the first. Still,m
Posted: 11/26/15 at 8:47am
"Burstein's Tevye is far less hammy and shticky than others I've seen. He's still very funny and warm, but in a grounded, earthy way. I loved his transition of reactions from Tzeitel to Hodel to Chava's engagements. Tevye even remarks how when you pull one thread the whole world starts to unravel and you get the sense throughout of Tevye's world disintegrating around him until it finally is literally taken away from him. Another key to his performance is who effortless he makes the role feel. He's on stage for the good part of a three hour musical and he makes it look so easy."
I know I am in the minority here, but I felt much the same way about Alfred Molina as Tevye. I love Sher's work and I look forward to seeing this revival.
Updated On: 11/26/15 at 08:47 AM
Posted: 11/26/15 at 8:58am
(Sorry something weird happened and that first part posted and I can't edit or add to it...)
Hecht's acting is on point and her relationship with Burstein is very real and deeply felt. The three main daughters and their suitors were well cast and have great chemistry, even at this early stage.
I like having the cast move the set pieces around, very much like the cast moved the set in Bridges. It strengthens the feel of community in Anatevka. I do wish when the crew members move the pieces around they could have been in costume too, but this was the minorest of distractions for me.
I adored the set and the costumes. Everything is sparse and bleak. Very open, more in line with his King and I design than South Pacific's.
I can't recommend this highly enough. I called a friend after and was telling him how much I loved it and he asked me what I was feeling most, and I responded I'm simply feeling feeling most. Sometimes it's a hazard of living in New York that you walk around feeling a little numb and cold, but then you see something like this and the capacity to feel returns and you just feel warm all over. That's what Sher's productions do to me and I love him for it.
Posted: 11/26/15 at 9:41am
Thanks for your write-up, Whizzer! I'm dying to see it now after being on the fence about it. Has anyone tried the rush? I'm wondering what time to get there, and where the rush seats are located.
Posted: 11/26/15 at 9:47am
I rushed it the second time I saw it. My seat was in the front row. The first time I saw it from the mezz; I appreciated the choreography more from the mezz, but the performances benefitted from being closer. Hecht's facial expressions are killer.
Posted: 11/26/15 at 10:59am
Thank you for the word Verklempt, Barbra said that about HAMILTON. Anywho, how was Motel?
Can you compare Danny's performance with any other of the actors who played the part?
i also heard from my friend The Maven Jessica was not the best singer, She thought Motel was FABULOUS.. Shalom. Happy Thanksgiving
Posted: 11/26/15 at 11:20am
Very happy to hear that you loved it Whizzer. I can't wait for my January trip to NYC, not just to see The King and I again but to also see Fiddler on the Roof once it's opened. Bartlett Sher's crew is talented and I'm sure Michael Yeargan did something pretty simple and lovely like what he did with The King and I.
Posted: 11/26/15 at 11:24am
Just got a major call from a few "people"
Motel played by Adam Kantor steals the show!
great news.
Posted: 11/26/15 at 12:08pm
Re Whizzer. You mentioned a closer seat.
i could see the worst show CLOSE, and find something good.
A seat in the mezzanine watching the best show is not worth going to. Seeing their face, and emotions is so fabulous.
It's like flying to California, would you rather sit First Class or coach? You still get there, but first class is better.
Posted: 11/26/15 at 12:13pm
I agree with everything Whizzer said. The show left me glowing for days, which is something only the rare production of the rare show can do.
I adored Danny Burstein's Tevye--and, yes! the progression of his reponses from Tzeitel to Chava was probably the finest I have ever seen. (I did NOT like Alfred Molina's performance. Not one moment of it. I did like Harvey's but it was definitely along the lines of seeing a Zero Mostel--a larger-than-life figure playing at the character of Tevye.)
I think everyone likes their first Tevye best. My first Tevye was Harry Goz, who I thought was swell. My parents took my sister and me to see it, and we we were mesmerized by it. The only one in the cast I disliked--and I disliked her intensely because she seemed to keep giggling and breaking character--was the Tzeitel. Years later, and only after I had become a huge fan, I found out that the Tzeitel I disliked so much was the young Bette Midler. Here she is with Harry Goz and Maria Karnilova, the wonderful Golde who had originated the role of Tessie Tura in Gypsy.
Updated On: 11/27/15 at 12:13 PM
Posted: 11/26/15 at 12:59pm
PJ, as the resident Robbins defender re: West Side, I must ask... are all the steps still there? Is it still recognizably Jerry's show?
Posted: 11/26/15 at 1:34pm
Is Jessica Hecht singing in the original keys or is she taking it down like they did with Norma Crane in the movie? I have to admit that having first become familiar with the score from the movie it was a bit jarring the first time I saw it onstage and heard Golde singing in the higher register and not that low warmth that I loved in Norma Crane's performance.
Posted: 11/26/15 at 5:03pm
How is the view from the rush seats for this?
Posted: 11/26/15 at 5:54pm
It's quite interesting that you brought that up Whizzer, about the sets being bleak and sparse. I think while the idea does feel "cheap" to some, it's the beauty of the simplicity that could strike a cord the same way that Michael Yeargan does to all of the shows he works on (though I could give the argument that The King and I and The Light in the Piazza's sets are not as bleak and sparse as Bridges per say).
I just hope that what Michael Yeargan has done for Fiddler on the Roof is to treat his own set designs with respect and love and not the kind of unimaginative dullness that some revivals do suffer from.
Updated On: 11/26/15 at 05:54 PM
Posted: 11/26/15 at 6:24pm
I don't understand the comments about accents. Obviously, if portrayed realistically, they would be speaking Russian. But because they're playing for an English speaking audience, they're speaking English. Why would they use accents? It's not about Russian immigrants speaking English with an accent any more than a Chekhov play. Do you use Norwegian accents when you do an Ibsen play?
Posted: 11/26/15 at 6:56pm
I am in total agreement with everything Whizzer and PJ have said. Was suppose to go again Monday night. But I gave my tickets to my aunt as a gift and bought two premium seats to take my mom this Sunday. I HAVE NEVER BOUGHT PREMIUM SEATS BEFORE. This has been the highlight of my theater going year. ( seeing Hamilton tomorrow ... So maybe that will change? )
Updated On: 11/26/15 at 06:56 PM
Posted: 11/26/15 at 8:05pm
I saw it yesterday and I echo what PJ and Whizzer said.
Posted: 11/26/15 at 10:27pm
what does one have to do here, to get banned?
Posted: 11/26/15 at 10:28pm
sounds like I'm in the minority opinion on this one...
Posted: 11/27/15 at 9:59am
As I said last week, going to a first preview performance has its pitfalls, and one's expectations should be somewhat lowered. But that wasn't my problem. The performances were assured, especially Burstein, but the whole production felt very muted, very low-key, and the look and feel of the scenic design, as I think back on it, just seemed cheap and lacking in imagination. And although the dancing and choreography were fine, the best of it still felt very much in line with the original Robbins work. Interestingly, the opening "Tradition" suffered greatly from having no turntable; the different groups are all introduced behind screens (it made me think of PACIFIC OVERTURES opening, but not in a good way).
On the way home we met a cast member on the subway platform, who really wanted to know how we enjoyed it. We limited our responses, but he told us that they were grateful just to get the show up on the stage, and not have to stop. Sher does not believe in having invited dress rehearsals, so the first sold-out preview was the first time there was any audience response. It went smoothly enough, but to read that those head-setted stagehands are still moving those cheap-looking pieces is staggering.
Posted: 11/27/15 at 10:10am
Yeah someone should let Sher know the critics are going to rip him apart for the stagehand thing.
Posted: 11/27/15 at 1:50pm
Posted: 11/27/15 at 1:51pm
I would go with the mezz option.
