Review: FIDDLER ON THE ROOF at Hershey Theatre

The national touring production of Fiddler on the Roof arrived at the Hershey Theatre on March 15th with energy and enthusiasm. It is a great example of producing the right show at the right time.

Danny Arnold stars as Tevye, the wry dairyman, devoted husband, and exasperated father. Arnold must be commended since he is the understudy for Yehezkel Lazarov, who usually plays the role. Impressively, Arnold did not miss one note, step,or line the entire night. For this, I say a sincere, "mazel tov!"

Maite Uzal plays his wife, Golde. She is very convincing as the supportive yet vocal other half of the relationship.

Kelly Gabrielle Murphy, Ruthy Froch, and Noa Luz Barenblat play the three daughters who all find love outside of the traditional way. It's a bit ironic that these characters all seek to be seen as individuals, yet they looked and acted with a large degree of sameness. My companion had a great bit of difficulty distinguishing among them, and whispered in my ear more than one time, "which one is this, again?" Allowing the sisters to have more distinct, less drab, costume colors would be welcomed for audience members sitting more than five rows back.

The staging of the show was very fluid. Sets flew in and out and locations were more open than in other productions that I have seen. This allowed for great flexibility and creativity in many of the numbers. "Tradition" and "Tevye's Dream" were especially original in presentation and execution.

This show has a very strong ensemble. I looked forward to each chorus number. These individuals are acting, singing, and dancing triple threats! In my opinion, they are the true stars of the show.

Lastly, I have to address the elephant in the room. The show's themes of exile, being forced from your homeland, and unprovoked aggression are no less timely now than when the show takes place. The parallels to the plight of the Ukrainian people are remarkable and timely. The cast vocally acknowledges this during the curtain call and has dedicated every performance on their tour to the people of Ukraine. This puts a bitter-sweet button on a very entertaining and often humorous classic show.

Fiddler on the Roof plays the Hershey Theater through March 20. Tickets and more info can be found here.