REVIEW: Fiddler on the Roof (Signature)
At the opening night of Fiddler on the Roof this week, the chair of Signature Theatre’s board mentioned that this was a hard show to get a hold of the rights for. Sometimes it’s because there’s a Broadway revival planned too soon, there are too many productions happening nationwide, or in this case, it was snagged by another theatre in the region. Said theatre presumably being the folks at Olney, who staged the 1964 musical just a few years ago. It was pleasant, if not risk-averse, even overlooking the controversy that followed its casting. But Signature finally managed to put this one to paper (for the first time ever!) and mount it as the second big musical of their Sondheim-less season.
Book/Music
My feelings on the material haven’t really changed in the two years it’s been since I watched the Olney production. However, I found Tevye’s motivations and the cultural presence of the supporting characters like Yente more realized in this production than the aforementioned, which I partly attribute to the casting (more below). It’s still an all-time classic for a reason: the songs are deep and the book is rock-solid. It’s an integral part of the American musical canon and its relevance goes far beyond the Jewish community. 10/10
Acting
Douglas Sills is a great Tevye. Beyond his casual fatherly demeanor, I appreciated the effort in putting on a slight Yiddish accent that did not intrude on his overall performance. But, he is not the most compelling in this ensemble, which title belongs to both of the excellent turns for Motel and Perchik from Jake Loewenthal and Ariel Neydavoud respectively. Each showed such commitment to their roles, imbibing such strong personality and empathetic attraction that balances humor and heart expertly. Susan Rome, a DC favorite, is a brightly animated Yente, too, that I loved seeing banter onstage each time she hit the scene. 8/10
Production
Joe Calarco directs with aplomb from the opening number. Something I appreciate the most about my Fiddlers are when they reduce the vanity to allow the cast and material to settle in the minds of the audience. In this case, Calarco opts for a more “thinky” take on it without entering a realm of obtuse abstraction. For example, a common motif in this production is a white cloth, large and fragle, but representative of the thread of community and how each villager is connected despite the tangles of each generation. The wooden set by Misha Kachman is versatile and low-key, primarily relying on a series of interlocking wooden tables that are creatively blocked around the space. It shines particularly in busier numbers like “L’Chaim”, where it co-exists with Sarah Parker’s fluid choreography, and in more ethereal ones like “Tevye’s Dream” which also shows off the creative lighting by Tyler Micoleau. 9/10
Viz
The rustic staging makes itself known not through its tetris-y block of wooden tables, but its gorgeous painted wooden celing, evocative of Eastern European synagogues like the Gwozdziec temple in Poland. These details, featuring flower zodiac symbols surrounded by missing planks of Hebrew lettering, were instantly eye-catching, and the intimacy of the staging allows one to view it at all times. Signature makes everyone feel like it’s their Anatevka, too. 8/10
Verdict
Fiddler gets a little more interpretive in Signature’s take, but it rarely falls short of its ambitions. 35/40
