Theater Review: A Crisp Fiddler in Denver

Fiddler on the Roof

Composed by Jerry Bock

Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick

Book by Joseph Stein

Directed by Bartlett Sher

Starring Yehezkel Lazarov

Denver Center for the Performing Arts

June 14, 2019

Fiddler on the Roof is one of those beloved musicals that often seems beyond criticism, enshrined in the heart of many a junior actor and musician from their high school days. While there was a long history in New York of Yiddish Theater (this was famed conductor Michael Tilson Thomas’ family background), this had vanished by the 1930s. That is one reason why the premiere of Fiddler in 1964 was such a big deal. For the Manhattan Jewish theater audience, it was a nostalgic return not just to their family origins in Russia of the late 1800s, but was a revival of Jewish theater itself. Of course no play is really beyond critique or revision. The current US touring production of Fiddler ran on Broadway from 2015-2016 and has been popular on tour ever since. I caught up to it in Denver.

Director Bartlett Sher does clean, thoughtful productions that do not distract from the play, and usually amplifies their strengths. I enjoyed his My Fair Lady recently; it was notable not for any gimmicks, but for how deftly he handled the awkward power dynamic between Liza and Henry, making Liza a much stronger (and more modern) woman. Fiddler tells the story of how a hyper-traditional Russian community of poor Jews survives on Tradition, then is dispersed during the tsarist oppression of the late 1800’s. The musical really has no such awkward features to update. The dominant men in the community are tweaked and subtly mocked by their often-stronger wives, but all the family members at least try to stay within their traditional family roles, also honoring the village Rabbi and the Yenta, or matchmaker. Its mix of valuing tradition, sardonic humor, pragmatism, and honoring knowledge all amply reflect historical Jewish culture. The play creates an appealing mix of nostalgia and the need for change that is at the heart of the show, and is a theme of immigrant culture. Of course, seeing 1890s Jews dispersed from their village to America and elsewhere in Europe—including Poland—has great resonance given the Holocaust and that came fifty years later. The audience’s knowledge of that gives them perspective unshared (but somehow feared) by the villagers. This also adds drama to the show.

As in My Fair Lady, Sher made the women a bit stronger and more interesting than I remember from the movie, not by adding lines but by coaching their acting in that direction. In addition, his selection of an actor for the lead alpha male created a Tevye that was both younger and a bit more hapless than predecessors like Zero Mostel. The performance of 45 year old Israeli actor/director Yehezkel Lazarov was a constant, animated delight, mixing generosity, love, frustration, kvetching, and anger in equal measures. 

As his daughters violate tradition and their father’s wishes one by one, marrying a poor local, an intellectual Jewish outsider, then finally a non-Jew (horrors!), Tevye deftly transitioned each time from abject refusal to acquiescence, as long as his daughters really were in love. Perhaps the unambiguous warmth of Mr. Lazarov’s performance removed a little tension from the plot—I was never really convinced that he would ever say no to his daughters’ marriage requests--but that was a small price to pay for such a joyous portrayal. Lazarov is younger than Mr. Mostel was in his debut in the role, and lighter on his feet to boot. This made for a youthful Tevye that was a convincing father for teenage girls.  “If I were a Rich Man” came across as witty, funny and ironic, rather than as some sort of iconic aria. Everyone on stage appeared to be having a lot of fun, rather than honoring an iconic play. The rest of the cast was of high level, and handled their famed featured songs (e.g. Matchmaker, Miracle of Miracles) with clear voices and excellent diction. Diction seems to be another Sher characteristic--there was none of the straining to hear the words as often occurs on Broadway.

As fits a touring production that must adapt to different theaters, the sets were basic, functional, sometimes spare (see the wedding scene above) and effective. They were mostly browns and greys (as were those villages), and there was no technical whiz-bang effects. Things just stayed focused on the actors and the play. The Jewish and Russian dance scenes were good if not spectacular. The smallish (8 member) orchestra lacked the orchestral feel of the original production, but that is pretty standard these days. I often feel it is a treat to have even one real string player, as opposed to just synthesized effects. While Fiddler on the Roof does not have explicit political points to make like so many productions of our era, it has great enduring value, providing fun and entertainment despite a grim ending, as we watch the Jewish villagers march off into unknown futures. That grim ending is just as poignant and unusual as it was in 1964.