FIDDLER ON THE ROOF to 26 April.
London.
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
book by Joseph Stein music by Jerry Bock lyrics by Sheldon Harnick.
The Savoy Theatre To 26 April 2008.
Mon - Sat 7.30pm Mat Wed & Sat 2:30.
Runs 2hr 50 min One interval.
TICKETS: 0870 840 1111.
Review: Geoff Ambler 30 May 2007.
A new perspective on the most traditional of musicals.
Lindsay Posner has re-imagined this well-known tale, making it a highlight of the crowded musical scene. Based on Sholem Aleichem’s short stories from the early 20th- century Fiddler follows the impact of progress on a traditional Jewish community in pre-revolutionary Russia, and on dairy-man, Tevye and his family.
Tevye’s relationships with the community, his family and God are explored and while his simple goodness always comes through, Henry Goodman tempers it with a more cynical, almost angry relationship in his frequent discourses with God. Events force him to explore how far his love for his family will test his faith and reliance on traditions he can not explain.
The importance of unquestioned traditions governing Anatevka is demonstrated repeatedly. Encroaching change from the wider world impacts heavily on the villagers' insular existence. Even the radical Perchik’s arrival brings the outside world into Tevye’s family, starting with a new dance and ultimately taking their second daughter away.
After Tevye’s opening, ‘Tradition’, his daughters Tzeitel, Hodel and Chava, introduce themselves with the lively ‘Matchmaker’, which gives an insight into their expectations for their futures.
Beverley Klein’s Golde is a compassionate matriarch, a joy to watch, particularly in a ghoulish, spectacular ‘Dream’, a theatrical highlight which brings to life the superstitions of recent times. ‘Do You Love Me?’ explores a question new to Teyve and Golde, matched by their parents, and their awakening awareness of how others shaped their lives.
Many talented performers add endless energy to the village scenes. The three men who find their way into Tevye’s family, Simon Delaney’s Motel, Damian Humbley’s Perchik and Michael Conway, a West End debut as Fyedka, distinguish themselves in a fine company.
Bleak as lives and prospects are, faith keeps people looking forward to better times. Tevye endures trials with endless stoicism, the ending is one of hope and his final act, to bless his outcast daughter Chava, places family over faith.
Despite the production’s set, too austere even for this impoverished corner of the world, and melancholic, doldrums-inducing lighting, the excellent cast’s vigour, passion and Teyve’s frequent humorous remonstrations make this a compelling event.
Fiddler: Adrien Mastrosimone.
Tevye: Henry Goodman.
Golde: Beverley Klein/Sue Kelvin.
Tzeitel: Frances Thorburn.
Hodel: Alexandra Silber.
Chava: Natasha Broomfield.
Shprintze: Nicole Turner/Olivia Ravden/Kate Rawlings.
Bielke: Rosie Jessica Hargreaves/Jessica Grant/ Kirsty Hickey.
Yente/Grandma/Zeitel: Julie Legrand.
Motel: Gareth Kennerley/Simon Delaney.
Mordecha: Tomm Coles.
Mendel: Alex Ruocco.
Avram/Rabbi: Vincent Pirillo.
Perchik: Damian Humbley.
Fyedka/Beggar: Michael Conway.
Lazar Wolf: Victor McGuire.
Constable/Yussel: Steve Fortune.
Fruma-Sarah/Shandel: Juliet Alderdice.
Sasha: Anders Jensen.
Russians: Adrien Mastrosimone, Tom Lorcan, Anders Jensen, Leon Webster.
Villagers: Miriam Elwell-Sutton, Damien Humbley, Anders Jensen, Tom Lorcan, Wendy-Lee Purdy, Matt Zimmerman.
Director: Lindsay Posner.
Designer: Peter McKintosh.
Lighting: Peter Mumford.
Music Arranger: Sophie Solomon.
Music director: Dane Preece.
Choreographer: Jerome Robbins.
2007-06-06 09:16:20