Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Fiddler on the Roof at PTC

Pioneer Theatre Company chose to open its 2015-2016 season with the classic musical Fiddler on the Roof.  I had the opportunity to see it last night and, in my opinion, they couldn't have picked a better to show to start the season!  Fiddler on the Roof is one of my all-time favorites (I even played Fruma Sarah many years ago) and I loved absolutely everything about this production.  Every song is instantly recognizable ("Tradition," "Matchmaker," "If I Were a Rich Man," "Sunrise, Sunset," "Far From the Home I Love," and "Anatevka.") and I had to try really hard not to sing along!  All of the actors are simply wonderful and I was particularly impressed with Michael Thomas Holmes as Tevye.  His characterization is quite different from other actors I've seen in the role and I loved all of his dialogues with God and his interactions with Golde (Tia Speros).  His rendition of "If I Were a Rich Man" is absolutely hilarious, with most of the audience laughing out loud.  I also thought that Kim Sava (Tzeitel), Nadia Vynnytsky (Hodel), and Mandy McDonell (Chava) had lovely voices and I thoroughly enjoyed "Matchmaker."  The choreography is absolutely incredible!  The Russian dancers in "To Life" and the bottle dancers at the wedding took my breath away and resulted in many cheers and whistles from the audience.  I also thought the choreography involving the Fiddler, who interacted several times with Tevye and then again with Chava during the "Chava Sequence," was quite effective.  The stark set features bare trees and the various houses and shops of Anatevka all appear to be crooked or leaning (emphasizing the precarious nature of their lives as Jews living in Russia).  Even though I have seen Fiddler on the Roof more times that I can count, my attention never once wavered during the entire show and I was completely caught up in the emotion of the story (I had tears streaming down my face during "Sunrise, Sunset").  Trust me, you definitely don't want to miss this beloved classic!  Get your tickets here!

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