By Joanne Engelhardt
The jarring election news earlier this month seems to reflect the Russian influence erupting in Palo Alto Players’ fine production of Fiddler on the Roof in the 1905 village of Anatevka. It runs through Nov. 24 at Palo Alto’s Lucie Stern Theater and is already nearly sold out.
Based on stories by Sholem Aleihem, Fiddler was made into a stage play (book by Joseph Stein, music by Jerry Bock and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick) and was first produced on Broadway in 1964 where it ran for more than 3,000 performances.
Finely etched performances here by Joey McDaniel as Tevye, Brittney Mignano as his tart-tongued wife Golde, and several actors as his five daughters bring Aleihem’s story of the poor milkman come to life. The show is rife with many wonderful songs like “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” “Tradition,” “If I Were a Rich Man” and “Sunrise, Sunset.”
For PAP’s production, musical director/conductor Amanda Ku and her 10-piece orchestra are strewn across the entire back of the Lucie Stern stage. Soft lighting and strategic scenery make them almost invisible as the story unfolds.
And what a story it is! It centers on Tevye, a poor Jewish milkman with five daughters, who has to resort to pulling his own cart to deliver milk when his old horse becomes lame. As he arrives home, Golde chastises him to wash up while yelling at her daughters to get everything ready for the Sabbath meal.
In those days, the village matchmaker was a powerful person. Here, Marsha van Broek as Yente, the matchmaker, adroitly shows her sway over families as she tells Golde that she has found a perfect match for Tzeidel (Gabrielle Goodman): Lasar Wolfe (Doug Brook), the village’s butcher who is older than Tzeidel’s father but has a lot of money.
Both Golde and Tevye are excited about the butcher’s intentions because they know their eldest daughter will be well cared for – and the entire family will benefit when Lasar says he’ll throw in some extra money for Tzeidel’s family.
The hitch? Tzeidel and her childhood friend, Motel (an earnest Joe Steely), made a “pact” a year earlier that they would marry when they got older.
Tevye and Golde are strongly opposed to their union both because Motel is practically penniless (he’s a tailor who sews clothes by hand) and because “tradition” says the head of a household makes the decision of who his daughters marry.
. . . eventually Tevye grudgingly gives his blessing to … marriage . . .
Act 1 ends with the song “Wedding Dance” where the happy bride and groom have a traditional wedding officiated by the village rabbi (a rather bland Richard Brandi). But as Tevye’s family and friends all join in the celebration, a constable (Matt Regan) shows up with his soldiers to break up the happy event.
Director/choreographer Jennifer Copaken has her hands full with the large cast (30+), but she and the efficient stage crew keep things moving smoothly. Counting a 15-minute intermission, the whole production runs just over 2 ½ hours.
In Act 2, daughters two and three (Madelyn Davis Haddad as Hodel and Teagan Murphy as Chava) get their moments in the sun. Hodel follows her heart and falls in love with itinerant scholar Perchik (Sam Kruger) who has been giving school lessons to Tevye’s two youngest daughters. They want to marry – again not what her parents want for her – but Tevye gives in when he sees their love for each other.
Ditto with daughter No. 3: Chava (Teagan Murphy). By this time, Tevye is coming around to the idea that “Love – it’s the new style.”
While PAP’s Fiddler is charming in so many ways, this reviewer found one character, Fiddler Eliya played by Chava Roy, a tiny bit tiresome as she repeatedly climbs up the stairway to a small balcony and then pretends to play on her “fiddle.”
But that’s just a trifle. Saturday night’s audience gave the production a standing ovation. PAP has just announced it’s added an extra performance to accommodate all the people hoping to get tickets.
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Aisle Seat Executive Reviewer Joanne Engelhardt is a Peninsula theatre writer and critic. She is a voting member of the SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle (SFBATCC). Contact: joanneengelhardt@comcast.net
| Production | Fiddler on the Roof |
|---|---|
| Written by | Joseph Stein |
| Directed by | Jennifer Copaken |
| Producing Company | Palo Alto Players |
| Production Dates | Thru Nov. 24th |
| Production Address | Lucie Stern Theater, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto |
| Website | www.paplayers.org |
| Telephone | (650) 329-0891 |
| Tickets | $35-$60 |
| Reviewer Score | Max in each category is 5/5 |
| Overall | 4.75/5 |
| Performance | 4.75/5 |
| Script | 4.75/5 |
| Stagecraft | 4.5/5 |
| Aisle Seat Review PICK! | YES! |