Fiddler on the Roof Only Fiddling Around
by dragonlady1 on 2010-01-18Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium - CalgaryRating: 3 out of 5I love the Musical itself, and enjoyed the vocal and instrumental performances very much. In addition, it is a bit of my family history, since my mother's family was driven out of Southern Russia when these events were occurring, and came to Canada, so it rings several bells in my head . In this production, the vocals were powerful, varied and full of character. My training is also stage and costume design, and so I was busy analyzing and admiring the sets, changes, and costuming, for both practicality and innovation, all the way through . The only bit of disappointment was Tevye's rather superficial approach to the issues he faced. Perhaps he was tired or in a hurry on the evening we saw the performance, but the flavour of his discussions with God and his arguments with himself were not nearly as amusing, thought provoking or even as suspenseful as many performances I have participated in or seen. Tevye is a skeptic who has cautious value for the past, but is willing to entertain the future, no matter what kind of adjustment it may force him to make. In this day and age, he is an Everyman to philosophers or even thinkers and open-eyed observers. Theodore Bickel didn't seem conflicted OR progressive, he just seemed to want to get it all over with.