Fiddler On The Roof

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF

Presented by

Newcastle Operatic Society

Based on Sholom Aleichem’s Tevye and his Daughters, Fiddler on the Roof is set on the precipice of the Russian Revolution in 1905. Anatevka, a small town steeped in tradition, where Jews and Russians co-exist side by side in a delicate state of balance. Where even within the openly toxic mix of faiths and beliefs, challenges to the status quo at this time of huge political unrest start to push at the very essence of these traditionally held values. The book and lyrics are by Joseph Stein, Music by Jerry Bock and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick.

Teyve and his wife Golde have five daughters, all without a dowry, this story relates to the eldest three, Tzeitel, Hodel and Chava, as they become eligible to be matched by Yente the matchmaker.

The story is steeped in the eventual forced mass migration of a populace from their homelands. A story seen over and over again throughout history on different continents, highlighting poignantly still happening to this day. Amidst the hardships and deprivation, human life’s hopes, fears, loves and dreams still endure.

Steve Beattie as Tevye, excelled in this tour-de-force larger than life role. The Papa, a mass of pathos, a great emotional range when required beautifully portrayed. Golde, his wife, the Mama; Caroline Wicks, again totally believable, great interaction with Tevye. their family and the rest of the community.

The whole cast gave strong thoughtful performances, they enveloped you, you felt their collective pain, their angst, the sombre pending doom hanging over them was palpable. Well done all.

Simple but very effective set, clever scene changes, I particularly liked the exterior to interior change for the Tevye household. Sound was spot on, crisp clear, the odd marginally late fader but with a large cast with dialogue never an easy task. Lighting was well thought out, painting the scenes bathing the actors in well observed tonal vignettes, slightly marred by some first night lighting cues.

Choreographer Gareth Ridge’s Cossack numbers were well thought out, great panache; with lots of well-choreographed movement for the cast, not an easy feat with a large number on a small stage, he made it look effortless to the spectator, sadly the nature of the show doesn’t really allow him to flex his dancing chops to the fore.

Director James Freeman's vision really came across, making good use of levels and grouping, he brought out some truly excellent performances from his strong cast, eking out the humour whenever available bringing a welcome contrast to the dire situation the people were on the brink of. I really enjoyed the “nightmare” scene in particular a perfect example of this.

Musical Director Alison Fisher, Delivered, her orchestra gave us a beautiful sonic backdrop to hang these well-known classic show songs on. Newcastle have always been known for their well-rehearsed and well-presented voices, this show was no exception to that, the vocalists, the vocal harmonies were superb.

 

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