Imagine you overheard this conversation:
There’s a show that’s just opened. It’s a tangled web of themes that include oppression, displaced people, organized marriages, subversion, female education, xenophobia and politics.
You might expect to hear that this piece is staged by an experimental theatre company, designed to shock audiences into change and discussion.
Well, there is such a show that has just opened in Sydney and it’s a musical called Fiddler On The Roof. Far from being a ‘pub-theatre’ production, staged by an upstart, emerging theatre group, it is a gem in the canon of classic music theatre productions.
With lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, music by Jerry Bock, and a book by Joseph Stein, the show is based on a series of stories by Sholem Aleichem. An unsuccessful actor, he had a passion to perform, and used his stories as his outlet, touring them throughout America in the early years of the twentieth century. Jerome Robbins directed the original production which premiered in Detroit in 1964, making its way to Broadway’s Imperial Theatre, later that same year.
In this new Australian production, Richard Roberts’ design dominates the stage, and I’m afraid it dominates the entire proceedings. A bare stage, flanked on the three full sides by cut out village. A strong outline reveals three definite buildings that are manually wheeled out, onto centre stage, revolved, and used for various scenes throughout the performance. Simple set design can be the most effective. In its best applications it allows the performances to shine, never competing with the actors for attention. As you sit in the Capitol Theatre, waiting for this play to start, the stage setting is begging to come to life, and it does, with the rousing Tradition. Could there be a better opening sequence to a show?
Last week, our lead critic wrote about the Bartlett Sher revival of the same musical, currently gracing the stage of the Broadway Theatre in New York. In that Broadway production, Sher managed to make this show much more that a starring vehicle, much as it has been in the past for great actors like Zero Mostel and Topol; both famous for making the lead character of Tevye their own.
Anthony Warlow, miscast in this role, is most definitely the star of this production, as the posters outside the theatre loudly testify. So, one can argue that the audience is coming to see Warlow and his fans will not be disappointed. As a matter of fact, at times I felt like I was at one of his concerts. As Tevye looks out and talks directly to God, as he does many times, I felt like Warlow was actually breaking the fourth wall and talking to the audience. His performance felt more like a tribute to the role than an inhabitation of it.
The much celebrated director, Roger Hodgman, has aimed for an intimate telling of this story. Whether by design or not, Tevye dominates proceedings leaving other characters undefined and without a spotlight.
Sigrid Thornton, who is one of Australia’s most experienced and successful actors, plays Tevye’s wife Golde. Unfortunately, I cannot think of a more glaring example of miscasting. She does not look Jewish, she doesn’t look old enough to have born these five daughters, her wig makes her look strangely glamorous, and her voice is simply not strong enough to do justice to the music.
However, there are some fine performances in this production.
Mark Mitchell as Lazar Wolfe, the older and wealthier suitor for Tzeital, Tevye’s eldest daughter Yente, ultimately rejected by her, is unrecognizable and convincing. The tambor of his voice, bellowing and raucous, his comic timing made me laugh out loud. He was one of the few to not just inhabit the role, but inhabit the entire stage.
So too, David Whitney - who showed why he has enjoyed a long-standing and distinguished theatre career. His characterization of the Constable dominated the scenes in which he appeared. He brought menace to the stage and, along with Mark Mitchell, was responsible for grounding the drama in truth. I note that Whitney is the understudy for Tevye. That is a performance I would pay over the odds to see.
Lior, a talented recording artist, who has enjoyed great success fuelled by his personal energies and creative compositions in the recording studio and concert stage, is making (I suspect) his professional debut in a musical. Playing the innocent Motel, desperate to marry Tzeital (Teagan Wouters) and prove his worth, genuinely won my heart. The humour and honesty, and sheer joy, that he shared was a delight to watch. I was not surprised that he succeeded in convincing Tevye to allow him to marry his daughter. He convinced me. The scenes between Lior and Wouters were some of the highlights of the evening. (I recommend you check out Lior’s recordings, just as I did when I returned home, it will not take you long to recognize the future that this young man has ahead. Lior is a talented young artist.)
Set pieces like the bottle dance and Tevye’s dream were just as they should be, Dana Jolly’s choreography coming to life on a few occasions.
Australian ensembles are, more often than not, as good as anywhere in the world. The cast were kept busy as were the crew! But sluggish set changes held up proceedings as crew members, dressed as villagers tugged and pulled them into place. Kelly Dickerson, the music director/conductor, was forced to persevere with the underscore until the next scene was set. I wouldn’t have tried to hide them. We all knew what the stage mechs were up to, embrace them.
The overall effect of the production is exemplified by its design. A card board cut-out, all the pieces in place, but nothing new or vital, something of a missed opportunity, but nonetheless still very enjoyable.
Fiddler On The Roof has been described as “the mother’s milk of music theatre”. Who would deny its right to be restaged and enjoyed by every new generation, given its pedigree, and the importance of its themes?
Three stars