Strictly Come Dancing’s Craig Revel Horwood stepped away from the glitz of the ballroom floor to choreograph and direct a fab-u-lous version of iconic musical Fiddler on the Roof.
Set in the Russian village of Anatevka, audience members watched the story unfold of milkman Tevye, played by Starsky and Hutch’s Paul Michael Glaser, and his daughters Tzeitel, Chava and Hodel in Tsarist Russia.
The musical centres on tradition. The tradition of keeping the Sabbath, the tradition of keeping one’s head covered and, crucially throughout the show, the tradition that a Jewish daughter will marry a suitor of her father’s choice.
Amid an array of upbeat musical numbers and celebrations throughout the production, Revel Horwood managed to retain a foreboding undertone about the external influences that threaten to encroach on deeply-held family traditions.
From the show’s powerful opening number Tradition the audience marvelled at this production of Fiddler on the Roof, basking in their beloved musical numbers they will have cherished for many years.
The challenge for any director who tackles this project is leaving their own mark on this historic musical, whilst ensuring they don’t stray too far from the original, and this is something that Revel Horwood achieves this with great aplomb.
The Strictly Come Dancing judge masterfully creates a second-home on stage for the audience to lose themselves in – for a few hours at least.
Casting Paul Michael Glaser as Tevye was a stroke of genius as not only does he portray the character powerfully but also interacts brilliantly with his family and the wider village community ensuring that nobody’s left to coast through the show.
His expert casting choices and simplistic set arrangement, accompanied with the constant presence of the fiddler (Jennifer Douglas) creates a comfortable and familiar atmosphere giving the audiences a glimpse into the villagers’ lives.
The audience was treated to everything they knew they would be getting – perfectly choreographed dance routines and a myriad of upbeat musical numbers.
However, it was the little details, inspiring characterisation and pitch-perfect vocal performances that set the production apart and kept the audience engrossed throughout.
The danger with Fiddler on the Roof is that those who know the story well dip in and out of the numbers they love, leaving the important themes and poignant moments to wash over them.
The audience was as captivated witnessing Tevye come to terms with his daughters breaking away from tradition in a changing world as they were for well-known numbers such as If I Were a Rich Man, Matchmaker and Sunrise, Sunset.
As the Tsar brutally ordered the helpless Jewish community away from their home, Tevye’s pain and anguish was difficult to watch yet impossible to tear away from – showing an absolute master class in acting by Glaser.
Every single person that watched Fiddler on the Roof left the Lowry humming the songs they’d heard countless times before as they battled through the cold night air.
Yet, maybe for the first time in a while, they did so with a lump in their throat.
Image courtesy of Bradford Theatres via YouTube, with thanks
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