Johnathan Hadary and company in Fiddler on the Roof. Photo: Margot Schulman
By DCist contributor Landon Randolph
From the opening moments of Arena Stage’s production of the Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof, it’s clear that “Tradition” is going to be more than the rousing chorus of the opening number. It’s a watchword for the entire show, a brassy declaration that every moment, every action is done under the weighty gaze of the ghosts that have come before. For the actors onstage, like the characters they’re portraying, that can be a weighty burden to bear. When it’s a safe assumption that a fair portion of the audience has either seen a previous production of the show — which debuted 50 years ago — or simply absorbed bits of it through a sort of cultural osmosis, can you say something new?
For those who have somehow escaped its influence, Fiddler on the Roof centers around the Jewish community in Anatevka, a small village in Russia just before the Bolshevik revolution. Specifically, it deals with the family of Tevye (Jonathan Hadary), a poor dairy farmer, as they struggle with balancing their traditional values against the rapid changes taking place around them. This job isn’t made any easier for Tevye, since he has five headstrong daughters to marry off. As you might imagine, they have some thoughts of their own on the subject.
Hadary’s Tevye has the air of long-suffering Borscht belt comedian whether he is praying to God, dealing with his daughters, or interacting with his wife Golde (Ann Arvia). He greets life with a gentle wit and a world-weary humanity that allows him to adapt to the changing times. It’s a familiar voice, one instantly recognizable from generations of performers before him. That may seem like a criticism, but its really one of the best parts of the show. Not only is it funny, but as he gripes in the tone reserved for curmudgeonly Jewish father figures, the care he takes for his community is readily apparent, and gives force to the emotional climaxes of the plot. Unfortunately, while he may be pitch-perfect when it comes to the acting side of his character, Mr. Hadary doesn’t always bring the vocal heft necessary for the role. Far from being the most powerful voice onstage, he gets upstaged by the other members of the cast, especially by Lazar Wolf (Erick Devine), a gigantic Santa Claus of a man whose energetic “L’Chaims” all but drown out those of the suddenly diminutive Tevye during their initial scene together.
However, this says more about the relative strength of the ensemble cast than it does the star’s weakness; the various members of Tevye’s family and the wider town all provide stellar performances. Particularly good are Joshua Morgan, whose timid and bookish Motel Kamzoil quails when speaking to practically anyone but his sweetheart Tzeitel (Dorea Schmidt), and Tracy Lynn Olivera’s Fruma Sarah, making one of the more memorable entrances in the play. Together, the cast gives you a sense of the vibrancy of the community. They are aided in this endeavor by the fact that this production takes place in the round. Rather than the forced theatricality inherent in a traditional venue, the space gives a more organic feel to Jerome Robbins’ choreography, and allows the actors to interact with each other instead of pausing for the conventions of a Big Broadway Number.
Director Molly Smith’s Fiddler has all the comfort and familiarity of a pair of favorite jeans. There isn’t much to surprise left in this play anymore, but that is sort of the point: it’s a show that’s calculated to bring out feelings of nostalgia and has been since it first debuted half a century ago. Fiddler on the Roof has always been a love letter to one’s immigrant ancestors, written and performed by their children and grandchildren in an art form that would be utterly foreign to the play’s characters. In many ways, the issues the play deals with were more relevant to their offspring as they made a new home. It’s fitting then, that this play feels so familiar. It means they made it.
Fiddler on the Roof plays at Arena Stage through January 4. Tickets and pricing information can be seen here.
