Tradition!!

I wasn't expecting to be back in London YET! I may be going in June (to be decided) and am defo going in July as I'm booked in for Cursed Child (!!), but an announcement a few weeks ago made my mind up for me. As I now finally have Saturdays free, I decided to do a two-show day (the evening one coming later) - and my matinee was the revival of Fiddler on the Roof, one of the most well known and classic musicals of all time, direct from its production at the Menier Chocolate Factory, directed by Trevor Nunn. It has now transferred to the Playhouse Theatre, where I saw Caroline or Change earlier in the year.

I'm not AS familiar with the piece as you would expect, having never seen the show on stage before, or even the film. The closest I got was when John Wilson's Prom of the show on the radio; and as this was a couple of years ago, all I can remember was silently fangirling over Katie Hall (Les Mis) as Hodel...
After premiering on Broadway in 1964, it was the first piece to run for over 3000 performances, and has since been revived many times both side of the Atlantic Sea.

As many of you will know, it follows Tevye the milkmaid and his family, who live in the traditional Jewish Ukranian Shtetl (or village) of Anatevka; throughout the show, the traditions he and the rest of the village have held onto for forever are being tested by his daughters' potential marriage. While all that is going on, the surrounding villages are also being persecuted by the Russian Orthodox Christian community - and Anatevka seems to be next...

So, you may be asking, why see it now Charlotte? It's still got a while to run? Why rush? Well, that was true, and I was tempted to see it a bit later on, and see Light in the Piazza at the same time (ish) - but a casting announcement came through, and I realised I was running out of time. No, it may not be controversial, like the latest Waitress casting was, but the whole reason I really wanted to see this version of Fiddler was to see 1 person - and she was leaving.

Who was that person - Judy Kuhn! A 4 time Tony nominee, she was in the original casts of Chess (Florence), Fun Home (Helen Bechdel), Les Mis (Cosette, as well as the 10th Anniversary Concert) - and was also the singing voice of Disney's Pocahontas, including being the voice behind Colours of the Wind, a song that means a lot to me personally.

In the show, Kuhn plays Golde, Tevye's wife, who had a great chemistry with her husband (played by Andy Nyman), especially considering they didn't meet until their wedding day and were stuck with each other for 25 years! This especially comes through in songs like Do You Love Me, and the nightmare scene, both getting a chance to show of their humorous scene. Oh and her voice is just crystal clear!

Nyman as Tevye was a perfect fit for the part. You felt for him when you saw his family being torn apart, but you also laughed at him when he was in one of his sarcastic moods.

The rest of the cast must also be praised, including Louise Gold (Gypsy) as Yente, Harriet Bunton as Hodel, and James Hameed (u/s) as Perchik.
I do however have to mention the one thing about the show that didn't work for me - and that was the staging. Don't get me wrong, the set itself was pretty impressive. They built the entire Shtetl on the stage, but it came out into the middle of the stalls.

This may not be the best picture, but this is where my other problem came. I was in the top tier in the second row, as of course it was cheaper. I was therefore close to the rail, and the lady in front of me kept leaning forward because she couldn't see very well either. Put ALL that together, and there were moments that were slightly cropped. It didn't affect most of the show, but it did affect some of the bigger dance numbers such as To Life and the Bottle Dance.

I'm NOT going to end on a bad note though. So I would still recommend seeing it, only consider your view. The stalls are quite expensive (ok if you're a rich man huh....), but if you need to go up top, consider going a little further back so as not to get the rail in your way.

The score by Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock is of course a classic, with tunes including If I Were A Rich Man, Matchmaker and Sunrise Sunset, and at times, some of the band came onto the stage: appropriately, the accordion, clarinet, and of course the fiddler, the only one wearing a colourful costume amongst a sea of grey, dark blue and black.

Fiddler is one of those classic shows, like West Side Story, that you should experience on one way or another - this production seems to be a good version to invest in. As I said, Kuhn is leaving next week, as is Gold - replacing them will be Maria Friedman and Anita Dobson, both very respected actresses, so I wish them well in their run.
This has got me thinking... I'd like to pick my violin up again... =)