Review – Fiddler on the Roof 2003

“Bare-bones set detracts from creditable Fiddler”

By:	Adrian Chamberlain, Times Colonist Staff
For:	Fiddler on the Roof
Who:	The Victoria Operatic Society
Where:	McPherson Playhouse
When:	November 2003

Because it’s so well-loved and so well-trodden, it’s difficult to believe Fiddler on the Roof was a boundary-breaker when the musical debuted on Broadway almost 40 years ago.

Unlike most box office successes, Fiddler dealt with unhappy subject matter: poverty-stricken Jews and the beginnings of bloody pogroms.

Indeed, it had the potential to be the mother of all downers.

It’s anything but, of course – thanks to a clever book based on the wry tales of Sholom Aleichem and wonderful songs such as Matchmaker, If I Were a Rich Man and Sunrise, Sunset.

The Victoria Operatic Society has staged Fiddler on the Roof twice before, in 1980 and 1991. on this , its third strike, the VOS manages a creditable interpretation that will please some Fiddler devotees.

True, the ball isn’t exactly knocked out of the ballpark.

There are few outstanding voices in this cast, and the production has a bare-bones look that suggests not so much a lack of funds as a dearth of imagination.

Nonetheless, this Fiddler on the Roof achieves a solid community theatre standard.

And it’s tough to resist its cast-of-thousands look – a commodity increasingly rare on today’s stages – not too mention the full orchestra accompaniment.

Chris Moss, a superior performer, creates a suitably larger-than-life Tevye, the not-so-rich man with a philosophical bent and a soft heart.

And on Friday night there were enjoyable supporting performances such as Pam Miller as a gasping, plucky Yente (the matchmaker) and Randy Parker as the gruff-voiced butcher.

Fiddler is the story of Tevye, a dairyman living in a Jewish village in Russia at the turn of the last century.

Traditions are changing, as he discovers when each of his three daughters makes (at least in Tevye’s eyes) an unsuitable match.

One marries an impoverished tailor, another scoops up a political agitator and the third – worst of all – pairs with a gentile.

The musical paints a portrait of Jewish oppression with a few deft strokes. Yet it is the character of Tevye that makes Fiddler work (and the terrific tunes, of course).

He makes mistakes, he is poor, he continually misquotes the Bible. At the same time, Tevye is brimming with humanity and – almost despite himself – possesses a certain Everyman nobility.

Moss captures much of what Tevye has to offer.

He has a clear, resonant baritone voice that succeeds better in speech than in song. Moss imbues the role with a strong theatricality – adding touches of melodrama where appropriate.

His only downfall is a tendency to deliver lines with a similar rise-and-fall cadence.

The actor is obviously attempting to capture a certain ethnicity in his delivery. However, Moss ultimately lapsed into a mannered singsong that threatened to ossify his performance.

There are some enjoyable dance sequences in the Fiddler. Choreographer Leah Moreau has, appropriately, opted for steps simple enough for the novice, yet sufficiently complex to hold our attention.

The raucous Aleichemtavern scene, for example, is replete with lively, Eastern European knee-bending – one young fellow even flips end over end across the stage.

The VOS has taken a Spartan approach to production values. Most scenes are played out against bare screens.

Bill Adams has created moveable set pieces representing houses and shops, but this is his best work – they have that high-school drama club look.

A more imaginative approach to the production’s visuals might have paid greater dividends. Clever use of lights and simple set materials (fabric, etc.) can create an atmosphere both dramatic and within the affordable reach.

Certain scenes – the wedding sequence for example – seemed curiously static played out against a blank backdrop.