Fiddler on the Roof: Douglas Sills and Jeremy Radin – Photo: Daniel Rader
As director Joe Calarco put it to the press night audience at Signature Theatre’s Fiddler on the Roof, he had a simple pitch for what would become his twentieth Signature production.
For his Fiddler, Calarco — whose 2017 Jesus Christ Superstar at the Northern Virginia theater still ranks as tops among the handful I’ve seen — envisioned a table in the round. The family table, the community table, where so much that matters in life happens, would serve as the center for this telling of the musical composed by Jerry Bock, with lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein.
Realized handsomely in Misha Kachman’s woody scenic design, the table, actually multiple tables in various configurations, also serves as stage and floor and tavern bar, depending on the scene. Meals, meetings, toasts, dances, fateful reckonings all sit down at — or spring from — this earthy center of the tiny village Anatevka, home to dairyman Tevye, his hard-working wife Golde, their five daughters, and community of fellow Jews.
Calarco and Signature nabbed a commanding performer to head the table: Douglas Sills, Broadway staple, Tony nominee, and, of late, a Gilded Age chef gracing the finest tables in 1880s New York. A far cry from Fifth Avenue, Tevye and family endure a life of scarcity in 1905 Russia, and, though Sills looks a bit dashing for a poor milkman, he conveys Tevye’s appreciation for the treasures he does possess: his family and his traditions.
The entire cast of villagers extol those virtues in “Tradition,” the first of the show’s opening trifecta of well-known tunes, and our first chance to take in the smooth staging of this large, active cast, and fetching choreography set for them by Sarah Parker.
Fiddler on the Roof: Rosie Jo Neddy – Photo: Daniel Rader
“Tradition” also spells out the strict expectations for women in this culture of arranged marriages. The three eldest of Tevye’s daughters — Tzeitel (Beatrice Owens), Hodel (Lily Burka), and Chava (Rosie Jo Neddy) — sing of romance and resistance in “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” a fine showcase for Burka’s lovely voice and Owens’ spunky Tzeitel.
The first of Tevye’s daughters to defy tradition, Tzeitel turns up her nose at a proposed union with wealthy town butcher Lazar Wolf (Jeremy Radin) arranged by the village matchmaker, Yente (Susan Rome, a fast-talking delight). One after the other, Tevye’s children will similarly defy him. He sees the balance of his whole world under threat, from within and without.
In his household, he has to deal with willful daughters, and the men they attract or bring home. Beyond his front door, the village of Anatevka, and the peaceful lives of Jews there, are threatened by the forces of the tsar, expelling Jews from their villages throughout the region.
The production hits its most resonant notes, however, when evoking the joy and celebration rooted in home and community, and religion. From the tender blessing of the Tevye-led “Sabbath Prayer,” to the boisterously danced “To Life,” the cast shines when it’s all hands on deck for uplifting occasions.
It’s wine bottles perched atop hats for the spirited quartet dancing the first-act showstopper “The Wedding,” a number epitomizing the show’s dynamite combo of cast, score, set, costumes, and choreography, especially when the mood’s upbeat.
The dancing throughout — to my surprise, at least — impresses in ways that the singing doesn’t, with a few exceptions, including the robustly romantic act two opener “Now I Have Everything,” sung by Burka’s devoted Hodel and Ariel Neydavoud’s revolutionary Perchik.
A modern free-thinker and, per Neydavoud’s impassioned performance, an appealing foil for Tevye, student Perchik is branded a radical by the men in the village. He turns out to be a key agent of change, both welcome and not, in the lives of Tevye and his family. Along with their community, they all suffer persecution, are brutalized by pogroms, and, ultimately, expelled from their homes, one passage in the show that feels played by rote, unfortunately.
“We don’t bother them, and so far they don’t bother us,” Tevye offers at the start, unaware what tremendous change awaits. Sills marks the man’s fight against — and yielding to — those battering winds with a genuine vulnerability which permeates Tevye’s duet with Golde, “Do You Love Me?”, informs his sometimes harsh methods of parenting, and solidifies his seat at the head of this table, both strong and sturdily built.
Fiddler on the Roof (★★★☆☆) runs through Jan. 25 at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington, with a Pride Night performance on Dec. 5. Tickets are $47 to $172. Call 703-820-9771, or visit sigtheatre.org.
Jacob Dickey doesn't have a to-do list of musical roles. But if he did have a to-do list, he says, "I feel like Sky Masterson would definitely be on that to-do list."
Good thing, then, that he's currently starring as Sky Masterson in the Shakespeare Theatre's vibrant new production of Guys and Dolls, directed by the Washington National Opera's Francesca Zambello.
Romping through Runyonland alongside Rob Coletti as fellow gambler Nathan Detroit, Julie Benko as missionary Sarah Brown, and Hayley Podschun as saucy showgirl Miss Adelaide, Dickey cuts a dashing figure in a role he's practically been preparing for since before his voice changed.
Tavis Kordell may not yet be a household name, but their performance career is off to an auspicious start. The young triple threat graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro last year and within six months landed a leading role in Some Like It Hot, the musical based on the hit 1959 film about two heterosexual musicians on the run from the mafia after witnessing a murder. To hide, they dress in drag and join an all-women's band.
Kordell steps into the shoes and heels of the role of Jerry/Daphne, which earned J. Harrison Ghee a Tony Award when the show premiered on Broadway in 2022. Both actors have much in common. They are non-binary, are preacher's children, and, even more coincidentally, share the same hometown.
Putting aside the curious question of why the Shakespeare Theatre Company has taken to staging musical theater -- this season it's Guys and Dolls -- the happy news is that director Francesca Zambello doesn't need to keep her day job (although let's hope she does).
She may be the artistic director of the Washington National Opera, but she's clearly got the eye, ear, and vision for a whole different kind of crowd. This is no-holds-barred Golden Age rom-com song-and-dance magic brought fully to life with some serious spectacle. From scenic designer Walt Spangler's mind-blowing industrial shop space, with all its peeling paint and careworn shop décor, to a live orchestra conducted with complete and utter flair by James Lowe, it's something to behold.
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.