Fiddler on The Roof

When Tevye and the villagers open the show with a rousing rendition of “Tradition” at The Princess Theatre, they are singing, not just about history, but about the production itself. There’s nothing wrong with this new Fiddler, but there’s nothing new, exciting or innovative either. It’s traditional. If you like your theatre with a little bit of edge (and certainly the story lends itself to drama and edge) then you will be disappointed; ‘on the other hand’ if you’ve never seen Fiddler live before, you will probably love it. It’s safe, it doesn’t stretch anyone’s imagination, or hit home emotionally; but it’s solid entertainment, and still resonates with its story of suspicion and displacement of outsiders whose customs are different to our own.

It’s surprising, then, that this production seems very generic. With no distinction between Russian and Yiddish accents (and they are vastly different, as any Russian Jew will show you) it is hard to draw demarcation lines. Accents are all over the place but there is a distinct lack of Jewishness in timing, inflection, and humour, and that’s to the detriment of the show. Chutzpah is replaced with blandness and, emotion is played down so as not to appear schmaltzy. The result is serviceable but lack-lustre, and that’s a pity when the show is as iconic as this one.

Anthony Warlow is a great star with a voice one can listen to all night. I will remember his Don Quixote to my dying day. But he didn’t give us the larger than life commitment that Topol brought to the role….nor the wonderful twinkle in the eye that Hayes Gordon brought. Gordon’s relationship with God was so intimate that one felt guilty for listening in to their conversations. Perhaps he is simply too urbane, or perhaps he will settle into the role, but the earthiness is missing, and thus much of the humour is lost. A brilliant stage presence? Yes….but not quite a Tevye. The passion and joy in life, despite the self deprecating humour, just isn’t there.

Sigrid Thornton looks uncannily like Leslie Caron and sounds like her too as her accent seems to waver from French to something Puerto Rican escaped from West Side Story. She simply isn’t big enough to be Golda, a wife whom the great Tevye is actually in fear of. Her voice also lacks power and it leads to an unevenness in the duets. She is miked, but even so it’s hard to hear her. And she lacks the presence of a matriarch. When you look at the Goldas over the years, following the benchmark set by Miriam Karlin, it’s hard to recognise that this is the same role.

The honours for the night go to Nicki Wendt, who brings great energy to Yente the Matchmaker, and Mark Mitchell who makes Lazar Wolf the Butcher a fully rounded character (pun intended). Tegan Wouters (Tzeitel), Monica Swayne (Hodel) and Jessica Vickers (Chava) are all impressive as the three oldest daughters (with Vickers just claiming the edge) and Blake Bowden giving a stunning performance as Perchik. LIOR’s Musical theatre debut is serviceable, though the voice is small, and it doesn’t matter that his Motel the tailor lacks any authority. He’s lovable, but there is a plethora of male music theatre ensemble members who would have done it better.

The set by Richard Roberts is serviceable, but again it’s ordinary and without innovation. Tevye’s nightmare is the most disappointing scene, with no attempt made by director Hodgman or Roberts to rise above the ordinary again. I’ve seen flying beds, suspended coffins, Golda and Tevye suspended in mid-air, but there are no magic moments here.

Dana Jolly recreates Jerome Robbins choreography with panache and the dancers are great….but the stage seems cramped for space with the cumbersome set.

What is a complete triumph is the orchestra, under the incredibly skilled Kellie Dickerson; every song and interlude sounds wonderful.

This is a perfectly serviceable production such as we might have seen in the 1970s, but is that enough to warrant this revival? Shouldn’t theatre test us, upset our expectations, move on to discover something different with every revival? I saw a community production two years ago which did just that – including the entire cast singing Anatevka a’capella and creating goosebumps and tears in the audience. The whole show was stunning in its conception. That’s the kind of Fiddler I want to remember, but surely it is the professional companies that should be pushing the envelope and not settling for the ordinary?

Coral Drouyn

Photographer: Jeff Busby