Fiddler on the Roof Previews — Page 4

Seeing it 12/ 8. Waiting for a call from someone who saw it last nite.

Maybe because Monday is usually dark. So they took the liberty of having it 30 minutes later.

yeah but did he see Good Vibrations?

Hamilton22 said: "Just like he had the golden touch for Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown, right? The guy has had flops, he doesn't have a "golden touch". Besides, this revival is a clear case of only being done because an actor is ready to do the role. Even if Broadway is exhausted with this show. "

Oh please. Were you even a tween yet when Verge was playing?

"Oh please. Were you even a tween yet when Verge was playing?"

I saw it twice, child. Besides Laura's great work, the show was crap.

Bridges of Madison county was WAYY better received than Women on the verge. Women on the verge was messy and unfocused and everyone knew it.

Updated On: 11/21/15 at 12:23 PM

Whizzer, are you okay? I am worried.

I was there last night (I bought a mezzanine seat on Wednesday).

Bartlett Sher has done it again.

This is even more boldly reimagined than King & I and South Pacific, mainly because of the way the show opens and ends, but I will not post more here because that's a major (but beautiful) spoiler. The 1st minute of the opening is as exciting as the orchestra reveal in South Pacific and the boat in The King and I. The lighting is pretty dark but the set has Chagall influence, in a different way than Boris Aronson's had. (There is something different and exciting at the back of the stage which I will not describe on BWW because it's another thrilling spoiler.)

If you loved Danny Burstein in his past roles then you will not be disappointed by this. His performance as Tevye is mesmerizing and he has the perfect blend of comedy & depth. His scene with Hodel in act 2 was a standout. I knew he was going to be good in this, but I didn't expect him to be THIS good, especially at a 1st preview. He is by far the frontrunner for Best Actor this season, based on everything we've seen so far.

The choreography is absolutely THRILLING. It has the essence of the original but it feels VERY authentically Jewish, very rhythmic, and very emotional & lively. The bottle dance is Robbins, and the choreography is similar to the original but it changes it up enough to make it feel fresh and new, sort of like with On the Town last year. Tradition, L'Chaim and the wedding scene stop the show. You can feel the excitement bursting from the stage in those songs. The orchestra (23 players!!) sounds as good and lush as it did for King & I and South Pacific, but the stage is built out around the pit for this so you don't get to see much of the orchestra.

Adam Kantor is a major standout as Motel, and the 3 daughters are very nice together. Jessica Hecht is quite good, and Adam Gupper made the Rabbi feel like a much bigger role than it usually is. I could have just watched the ensemble during the group scenes they were so engaging.

It ended at 11:10 which included a long intermission and a slightly delayed start. (It looked like a totally full house.) I'm sure they are working on trimming and tightening, and there were a few clunky things to be fixed and smoothed out, but this is such a moving, exciting production. I'll definitely be back later in the run. It's already lightyears better than the last revival, and by the time it opens I think it will be on a similar level as Sher's productions of The King & I and South Pacific.

Updated On: 11/21/15 at 01:50 PM

Oh thank goodness a review! I'm very happy that you loved it, and if I'm going to be honest, Bartlett Sher is now the "Master of the Broadway Musical Revival" if he keeps making great things with the best 20th century musicals. Plus I knew somehow that Sher and his team would pull a coup de théâtre again after the ship from The King and I, I just knew it.

Updated On: 11/21/15 at 02:10 PM

CATSNYrevival said: "Are they using "The Rumor" song? I know they won't use "Topsy-Turvey" from the last revival and I know "The Rumor" was originally written to cover a scene change and is often cut but I'm curious to know if Sher is including it or not.

"

The Rumor is there (and Alix Korey is HILARIOUS as Yente, btw) and it's staged in an interesting way so it doesn't feel like it's there to cover a scene change. (And it doesn't cover a scene change in this staging.)

I don't really want to post spoilers here because it's not going to sound good if I attempt to describe it.

Women on the verge was messy and unfocused and everyone knew it.

Untrue. I saw it in its final week and felt the opposite. I loved every second of it and felt the staging, book and design were brilliant representations of Almodovar's style. It was this attention to detail in Almodovar's film and body of work that made me fall in love with the show. Unfortunately, the critical reviews read as though most of them were unfamiliar with his films and unique style, which was a real shame. The London production highlighted the strengths of the book and score for the show and the minimalist approach to the staging did work well. But it was Sher who captured the Almodovar style for which this particular film rocketed Almodovar to international acclaim.

OK, but if you just click the + icon in the message board, and:

Then you get:

Updated On: 11/21/15 at 03:30 PM