Growing up, I watched the Fiddler on the Roof hundreds of times. When I found out that it was coming back to Broadway, I couldn’t help but jump for Joy. I was so excited! Luckily, I had the opportunity to see it with a friend a couple of weeks ago. If you have the chance to see a Broadway show in New York soon, you should definitely consider Fiddler on the Roof as a show for the whole family. It did not disappoint.
I’m going to assume that everyone knows the story of Fiddler, but for those who don’t, here’s the quick version: in the small Russian village of Anatevka lives a poor simple milkman named Tevye, who is a religious Jew with a wife and five daughters. The story follows him trying to marry off his three oldest girls, while struggling to hold on to tradition and deal with the anti Semitic government that threatens the whole Jewish community.
Danny Burstein leads as Tevye and he does a fantastic job. I especially enjoyed his “If I Were a Rich Man,” and his dancing. He was so energetic and lively. I also liked how he kept quoting the “good book”. His performance was both humorous and heartfelt, and he leads the show wonderfully.
I loved the three older sisters, Tzeitel (Alexandra Silber), Hodel (Samantha Massell) and Chava (Melanie Moore). When they sang “Match Maker,” they danced around the stage making fun of the crazy guys they are set-up with. This scene is still relatable; I guess some things never change!
The nightmare scene was my personal favorite part, and I especially liked when Jessica Vosk came out as Fruma Sarah. She looked so freaky and her voice was amazing. Don’t mess with her or her husband!
Adam Kantor plays a very likable and convincing Motel. He starts off as a wimp who seems scared of Tevye, but when he finally gets the courage to ask to marry Tzeitel, you can’t help but be very happy for him. Then he sings “Miracle of Miracles,” which is such a great song so filled with life and inspiration. I just love how excited he is.
The dancing in this show is unreal. The L’Chaim dance” and the bottle dance were so fun and enjoyable, and they got the traditional Jewish dancing down to a T. The choreography was really good in general and they portrayed Jewish dancing really well.
The orchestra was really great and the Fiddler was so good. Ted Sperling the musical director, and his Assistant Benjamin Rauhala really do a great job in capturing the wonder of the show.
Fiddler on the Roof is an unbelievable show that will appeal to the whole family, go see it.