Fiddler on the Roof

Having seen several productions of Fiddler in the past the one abiding memory I have from all of them is that this is an Epic show both in terms of content and duration.  With a running time of 90 minutes in the first act alone then a production needs to captivate your imagination right from the start.  I’m delighted to say that tonight BMTG and their incredibly talented cast, crew and production team made this a night to remember with, put simply, the best interpretation I have seen of this classic musical (film included).  Although this is very much an ensemble musical requiring great cast strength in depth, then without a strong Tevye and Golde at its centre it will never deliver its full potential and here this production exploded with talent.

Adam Guest was born to play many roles and Tevye is right up there as one of his best.  Under the expert direction of Beth, Adam brought such a lightness of touch to this pivotal role it lifted the whole production to another level.  It is so easy to concentrate on the poverty and struggle of the characters but here you could see the joy and celebration in Tevye’s heart being grateful for every mercy, love for his family, and pride in his community.  Sandy Lane provided the perfect Foyle to Adam making Golde a truly believable character with all her struggles bringing up a large family of five daughters and also her devotion to the traditions of the community and its identity. 

Cibele Alvarenga, Marie Nelson, Esther White, Evie Evans and Naomi Batley succeeded in giving each of the daughters Tzeitel, Hodel, Chava, Shprintze and Bielke an individual character so rather than being a “Greek Chorus” the three eldest had their own individual journeys as their hearts were lost to very different men, both within their community and outsiders.  Again, this was very refreshing to see as their individual journeys and breaking with “Tradition” drove the story forward with Adam again bringing out the conflicts in his mind between supporting his daughter’s choices and loyalty to the tight-knit community expectations.

Graham Buchannan was in great form as Lazar Wolf the butcher who falls for the idea of marrying Tzeitel.  Graham’s comic timing ensured that Lazar was not a cliché and the misunderstanding scene with Tevye as to whether it was Tevye daughter or milk cow he wanted was outstanding.  Maria Lawrence was a suitably irritating Yente the matchmaker who saw her purpose being undermined in the modern world with the daughters being allowed to make their own matches.  Jake Gelernter was in great voice and characterisation as Motel the Tailor as he developed into a man worthy of marrying Tzetel.  Harvey Latter was an excellent Perchik the free-thinking outsider who brought new hope and expectations to the younger members of the community and captured Hodel’s heart.  Lu Anthony managed to, apparently effortlessly, double up as both choreographer and Fyedka the Russian who steals Chava’s heart.

The remainder of the cast and ensemble all added to the excellence of the production throughout and also had key smaller roles to contribute including Phillipa Buchanan as Mordiha, William Howarth as the Rabbi, Andy Bulmer as Mendel, Paul Mills in great voice as Avram, David Artiss as the beggar Nachum, Ruth Maddison as Shaindel, Charlotte Drewett as an incredible Grandma Tzeitel, Emily Owen as Fruma-Sarah with one of the most impressive voices and costumes of the night, Joy Gravestock as the fiddler playing live on stage with Jeff Shaw on Accordion, Jaye Bonser and John Hand as both Constable and also on the production team as the Director’s Assistant.  Last but not least the talented dancers and Russian troops, including Chris Bryan holding one of the longest and loudest notes in Duchess history, were flawless in all their scenes and really added to the huge set pieces throughout the night.  So congratulations to Chris, Alice, Jane, Masie, Amelia, Sarah, Daisy, Arran, Rebecca and Christine.

To make Fiddler such an outstanding success is no mean feat and needs a strong production team and here I have to take my hat off to Beth, Charlotte and Lu and the rest of the team.  Beth is no stranger to the Director’s chair and with John’s assistance you could clearly see where she was taking the production and stamping her personality on every scene without letting a “concept” get in the way of the narrative.  Charlotte shone in her first outing as MD, the cast were all in great voice from the first bars and the diction in every classic solo and chorus number always shone through ably supported by a great band.  Lu’s choreography was always exciting and sympathetic to the talents of the company.  With great sound balance, lighting, simple but effective staging and costuming this was all round a very accomplished production.  Many congratulations all and I look forward to Sister Act with great anticipation.

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