Maybe I missed it, but I'm surprised we aren't talking about this more! I'm really looking forward to this...and Joel Grey is directing! Do any of you folks have expectations for the production?
Steven Skybell and Jill Abramovitz star as Tevye and Golde, with Jackie Hoffman (Oh myyyy) signing on as Yente the Matchmaker.
Going August 2nd. Can't wait! It's a show that I (and so many) know so well, so I don't need to be able to understand it. The Yiddish will add more depth.
I enjoyed it a lot. It's a production with a lot of spirit, and it's a real treat to see the show done in the language of its people. The cast is great. If you hate Jackie Hoffman, you might be pleased to learn her part is quite small, and it's probably among her most restrained performances to date - which isn't saying a lot, but still.
My only qualm is that I wish they had been given a bigger budget. The production sometimes just felt cheap. And I know it's a kind of minimalist style, but I think it is possible to achieve that without looking cheap.
It's a small playing space, which is unusual for Fiddler, but they make good use of it.
Thanks for bumping my thread, BWWers. I was beginning to wonder why reports on here had been quiet. Everyone I've heard from echoes that this production is magnificent. Now that I'm thinking about it, I think Skybell was my Dr. Dillamond when I saw Wicked in 2007.
I'm also Facebook friends with Bruce Sabath (Lazar Wolf). He's posted pictures from opening night of Topol, Katrina Lenk, Sheldon Harnick, and many others. Something very special is at the MJH!
Do not concern yourself with the language. There are subtle supertitles. But honestly, a few minutes in you will forget about the Yiddish altogether. They communicate perfectly.
I adored this production so much, even if you have seen countless Fiddler revivals before go see this! It has been on TDF a few times but those tickets go fast. My only complaint is the hideous set- basically these beige hangings that looks like paper towels. The word Torah (in Hebrew) is written on one of the hangings, not sure why they didn't go with the Hebrew word for Tradition. I have seen many shows at the Folksbiene and the sets are usually pretty elaborate. It was a real treat seeing the show in such an intimate setting, the theater is small so no bad seats.
I caught this last Friday, and it was the most impactful version of the musical I've seen. Yes the set was kind of drab, and yes I'm sure that's largely a product of budget limitations, but while it's lacking the big set pieces featured in the Danny Burstein starring version that was on Broadway a couple of years ago, given that the story takes place in a very poor village, a sparse, drab set is thematically more appropriate.
More importantly, hearing the story in Yiddish made the story feel far more specific and lived in. Russians said things in Russian, in the rare instance scripture was quoted and it wasn't Tevyah making things up, the actual quote was recited in the original Hebrew. That made the second half of the play, when things get a lot more dark, that much more realistic and heartbreaking.
Additionally, the second half ends with Tevyah leaving for America, and by the happenstance of where the museum is located, you leave the theater and are staring at Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. It reminded me even if that story originated from the imagination of Sholem Aleichem, stories like it were 100% real.
Bought tix in the front row for a show Labor Day Weekend (saw 'em, grabbed 'em). They were $75/each, which is lower priced than further back. Is it a high stage or some other reason they'd be less expensive?
joined:12/1/14
joined:
12/1/14
Posted: 5/14/18 at 12:30pm