SHOWING : May 04, 2005 - June 05, 2005
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At long last, one of the most popular Broadway musicals in history comes to Jewish Theatre of the South. The beloved story of Tevye the milkman, his wife Golde and their daughters, the colorful characters of Anatevka and the slipping away of tradition will delight you all over again…or for the very first time!
Popular Atlanta director Jessica Phelps West, (The Price; The Chosen, JTS) oversees this timeless classic, featuring musical theater favorites Sunrise, Sunset; To Life; If I Were A Rich Man; Matchmaker, and many more. It’s the don’t-miss theater event of the season!
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"Fiddler" Hits Most of the High Notes
| by Showdog |
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Saturday, May 21, 2005 |
3.0
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“Fiddler” is one of those war-horse musicals produced by countless companies to varying degrees of success. Audiences often come with pre-conceived notions of past productions, good and bad—and directors and actors are challenged to present well-worn classics in new and fresh ways. JTS’s production is impressive. The theatre itself is a wonderful venue and the director makes excellent use of the space. A beautiful, functional set enhances the production and there are many other fine aspects to this production—the smooth choreography, the use of puppets in the dream sequence, the accompanying instrumental ensemble--including the onstage fiddler, and a most competent cast—some of Atlanta’s best actors fill the supporting roles. The cast's standouts were the daughters and their suitors. I especially enjoyed Rachel Bodenstein’s Chava—her characterization was beautiful as was her dancing. Her second act scenes with Tevye and her solo were among the evening’s highlights.
The two leads were somewhat puzzling. Agnes Lucinda Harty is obviously a most talented actress/singer but seemed much too young for Golde—especially in her scenes with Bruce Evers’ “Tevye”. To this reviewer, Mr. Evers seemed to deliver a somewhat one-dimensional performance in a curiously flat tone of voice—surprising from a Shakespearean actor. That, combined with the very quick pacing of the show, sometimes left the audience out of much of the humor which is Tevye. Perhaps Mr. Evers was attempting to avoid knock-offs of past Tevyes, but he missed the mark in Tevye’s view of life and his conversations with the Almighty, which need a bit of a wink to both the Almighty and the audience—and the heartbreaks of Act II seemed to leave him unaffected. Once again, perhaps that was due to the quick pacing of the show.
Still, in all, an impressive production of a music theatre classic. I will certainly look forward to future productions of JTS.
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