Displaying items by tag: Fiddler on the Roof

It’s hard to believe that Fiddler on the Roof turns 60 this year. It’s even harder to believe that the show, which opened on Broadway in 1964, can still take an audience by surprise. In continuous production around the globe, and with brides continuously walking down the aisle to “Sunrise, Sunset,” Drury Lane Theatre’s new version proves Fiddler’s mettle once again.

Director Elizabeth Margolius and choreographer Rommy Sandhu dispense with some of the standard staging choices, mostly without disturbing the spirit that animates the musical. Evocative tableaux replace folky dances right from the opening number. After Tevye (Mark David Kaplan) ushers us into Anatevka, lights come up on the townspeople in rows that initially suggest a church choir or a Greek chorus.

“Tradition” proceeds in that linear formation, bringing the village to life in a cluster rather than filling the full stage. Then, as Tevye narrates the action, the cast begins to sway and bob, the movement not of Christians or Hellenes but of worshipping Jews. Each group – the papas, the mamas, the sons, the daughters – has its verse, standing upright and illuminated while the others crouch. Roles are specified, expectations declared. Whether expressing the closeness of the community, fear of what lays beyond the shtetl or just the cold Russian climate, these people function as a bickering, intertwined unit.

At least, it starts that way. Jack McGaw’s set puts the flat façade of a house center stage, a piece of scenery that disappears, panel by panel, as the story progresses. With every personal encounter, traditions break down and push everyone towards the empty space of the future. Tevye tells Golde, “it’s a new world.” How comfortable was the old world? Projections, designed by Mike Tutaj, appear on screens throughout the show, and an historic photograph of a shabby shack reminds us that a poor man like Tevye had little in the way of comfort.

There are no props – no dairy cart beside Tevye during “If I Were a Rich Man” or a book for his daughter Chava to exchange with her non-Jewish suitor Fyedka. Though odd at first, it works especially well during “Sabbath Prayer” when the family gathers to light the shabbas candles. Instead of candlesticks, the screens that frame the action fill with images of flames. In group scenes such as this, the use of projections is stirring. During more intimate moments, when the faces of the characters are projected onto the screens, they seem less of an enrichment and more of a distraction.

Several cast members bring new attention to smaller roles, such as Joel Gelman as Lazar Wolf, the widowed butcher who sets his sights on Tevye’s first born Tzeitel. Yes, Lazar Wolf is too old and unrefined for the girl. But Gelman exudes such heartfelt joy at the prospect of marrying her, he inspires sympathy when the deal falls through. In the hands of Janet Ulrich Brooks, Yente the Matchmaker lands the laugh lines that have turned “yente” into a synonym for meddlesome gossip. But Brooks also conveys the loneliness of a woman who has no one to call her own.

What do the inhabitants of Anatevka have to call their own by the end? Not much. Their bickering, intertwined unit scatters in all directions as the Russian authorities confiscate their property. We know these people after 60 years of imagining that fiddler trying to keep his balance on a shaky roof. At Drury Lane Theatre, we meet them once again as tableaux of memory that reach through time and space.  

Fiddler on the Roof is playing now through March 24^th at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook. Tickets are available at www.drurylanetheatre.com

Drury Lane Theatre is pleased to announce casting for its final show of the 2023/2024 season, the beloved Fiddler on the Roof. The cast of Fiddler on the Roof includes Mark David Kaplan (Tevye), Janna Cardia (Golde), Emma Rosenthal (Tzeitel), Yael Chanukov (Hodel), Abby Goldberg (Chava), Lea Grace Biwer (Schprintze), Estella Mccarthy Schultz (Bielke), Michael Kurowski (Motel), Zach Sorrow (Perchik), Grant Kilian (Fyedka), Molly Dibble (Alternate Schprintze/Bielke), Janet Ulrich Brooks (Yenta), Joel Gelman (Lazar Wolf), Jeff Parker (Constable), with Dara Cameron (Fruma-Sarah), Thom Cox  (Nachum/Yussel), Bill Mcgough (Rabbi), Karl Hamilton (Mordcha), Susan Hofflander (Grandma Tzeitel), Nathan Kabara (Avram), Sam Shankman (Mendel). Rounding out the ensemble are Mack Alexander, Jenessa Altvater, Jessica Deahr, Daniel Hurst, Dani Johns, Will Leonard, Jordan Radis, Elizabeth Romero, Jacob Simon, Mitzi Smith, and Jodi Snyder.

"Now more than ever, Fiddler on the Roof speaks to the universal desire to protect our beliefs and traditions while the ground continually shifts beneath us," comments director Elizabeth Margolius. "This new, evocative approach to Fiddler on the Roof puts the focus on the people in hopes of illuminating this story as never before and inspiring us to question who we are and what we will leave behind for future generations."

Fiddler on the Roof is directed by Elizabeth Margolius with music direction by Chris Sargent and choreography by Rommy Sandhu. The creative team also includes Jack McGaw (scenic design), Linda Roethke (costume design), Jason Lynch (lighting design), Ray Nardelli (sound design), Mike Tutaj (projection design), Cassy Schillo (properties design) and Larry Baker (production stage manager). The associate director is Daren Leonard and the associate choreographer is John Michael Coppola.

The Tony Award-winning musical masterpiece features music by Jerry Bock, book by Joseph Stein, and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick. Fiddler on the Roof was originally produced for the New York stage by Harold Prince and directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins. Fiddler on the Roof runs January 24 – March 24, 2024, at Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace. The press opening is scheduled for Thursday, February 1 at 7:00pm.

Tickets are available online at drurylanetheatre.com or by phone at (630) 530-0111.

Fiddler on the Roof is rated G.

Fact Sheet / Fiddler on the Roof

Title: Fiddler on the Roof

Music by: Jerry Bock

Book by: Joseph Stein

Lyrics by: Sheldon Harnick

Directed by: Elizabeth Margolius    

Cast: Mark David Kaplan (Tevye), Janna Cardia (Golde), Emma Rosenthal (Tzeitel), Yael Chanukov (Hodel), Abby Goldberg (Chava), Lea Grace Biwer (Schprintze), Estella Mccarthy Schultz (Bielke), Michael Kurowski (Motel), Zach Sorrow (Perchik), Grant Kilian (Fyedka), Molly Dibble (Alternate Schprintze/Bielke), Janet Ulrich Brooks (Yenta), Joel Gelman (Lazar Wolf), Jeff Parker (Constable), with Dara Cameron (Fruma-Sarah), Thom Cox  (Nachum/Yussel), Bill Mcgough (Rabbi), Karl Hamilton (Mordcha), Susan Hofflander (Grandma Tzeitel), Nathan Kabara (Avram), Sam Shankman (Mendel). Rounding out the ensemble are Mack Alexander, Jenessa Altvater, Jessica Deahr, Daniel Hurst, Dani Johns, Will Leonard, Jordan Radis, Elizabeth Romero, Jacob Simon, Mitzi Smith, and Jodi Snyder.           

Creative Team: Chris Sargent (music direction), Rommy Sandhu (choreography), Jack McGaw (scenic design), Linda Roethke (costume design), Jason Lynch (lighting design), Ray Nardelli (sound design), Mike Tutaj (projection design), Cassy Schillo (properties design), Larry Baker (production stage manager), Daren Leonard (associate director) and John Michael Coppola (associate choreographer).                                   

Dates:  January 24 – March 24, 2024

Press Opening: Thursday, February 1, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.

Schedule: 

Wednesdays and Thursdays: 1:30 p.m.

Thursdays: 7:00 p.m.

Fridays: 7:00 p.m.

Saturdays: 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Sundays: 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Location: Drury Lane Theatre at 100 Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace

Tickets: Single Tickets: $85.75 – $96.25*

Wednesday and Thursday matinees: $85.75*

Fridays, Saturdays, and Sunday matinees: $96.25*

Thursday and Sunday evenings: $91*

*Prices include taxes and fees

$5 discount available for Senior Citizens on Wednesday and Thursday matinees

Group discounts available to groups of 15 or more

Dining and show packages available

Box Office: 100 Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace; (630) 530-0111

Monday through Sunday from 10am to 5pm

DruryLaneTheatre.com

The above phrase has become a regular one spoken in my home and in the homes of friends in the village of Skokie, first as an inside joke and now as a communal mantra. A mantra of togetherness. A mantra of character. A mantra of love.

That same mantra kept playing in my mind as the Bartlett Sher-directed touring production of Bock and Harnick’s timeless Fiddler on the Roof created a village on the stage of the Cadillac Palace Theatre. Sure, the sets carried us back to turn of the century Eastern Europe. And sure, those beloved songs and that well-known story transport us to the village of Anatekva. But it’s the people who populate that shtetl — and the talented actors of this production who portray them — that bring the village to life.

From the get-go, the face and voice of the village is Yehezkel Lazarov’s Tevye. An Israeli actor and director, Lazarov brings a similar old-world grit and charm to the character that Topol did in the film version. He’s funny and personable, sure, but also tired and wistful and, perhaps, a bit broken as he lays out his life to his audience and his G-d. My favorite number from Fiddler, and the one I most connect with as a father and as someone in a profession that isn’t as profitable as those held by my peers, is “If I Were a Rich Man,” and Lazarov nails it, hitting the humorous notes and the cantorial ones, as well. But beyond his skill at singing and dancing on a Broadway stage, it’s Lazarov’s ability to flesh out Tevye and bring him to life that did it for me.

Tevye’s daughters, played by Mel Weyn (Tzeitel), Ruthy Froch (Hodel), and Natalie Powers (Chava), are the other standouts. Again, as the father and mother of daughters, my wife and I were all too familiar with the complex mix of side-eye glances, huffiness, and adoration that Tevye’s girls show him. Weyn, Froch, and Powers nail it when it comes to portraying a family. And they nail it, too, musically. Particularly when the trio takes on “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” their voices blend and their harmonies soar as if they actually are siblings singing together.

The other main roles are adequately filled, as well. Carol Beaugard, as said matchmaker Yente, is a hoot. Maite Uzal effectively plays Tevye’s foil, his acerbic, realistic, and ultimately loving wife, Golde. Jesse Weil, Ryne Nardecchia, and Joshua Logan Alexander all do well as Tevye’s daughters’ suitors.

But it’s the rest of the folks in the cast — the ensemble and the musicians — who really make the village. The bottle dance at the wedding that ends Act I is, for sure, a main highlight. But the village of folks that make up the busyness and beauty behind each of the show’s big numbers is what grabs the eyes and hearts of the audience. Whether it’s the bustling Anatekva of “Tradition,” the drunken Jews and Gentiles who come together if only for a moment in “To Life,” or the specters that haunt “Tevye’s Dream,” the ensemble shines throughout. So, too, does the orchestra, conducted and coordinated by Michael Uselmann and John Mezzio, fill the big shoes that Fiddler’s musical legacy requires. Ionut Cosarca on violin strings us along from the pit, just as and spirited Paul Morland does in his role as the titular Fiddler.

So, to see a new take on a classic this holiday season, and to see a cast of skilled creatives make the village this classic takes, head to the Cadillac Palace Theatre from now until January 6 for Fiddler on the Roof.