Title = Fiddler on the Roof
Genre = Musical
Theater/City = Woodminster / Oakland
Production Dates = July 13 - 22
Prices = $27 - $56
Kids under 16 Free
Click here for tickets
About
The universal story of tradition versus change is beautifully told in one of the most famous and popular musicals in Broadway history, Fiddler on the Roof. The tale of Tevye and his daughters, based on Sholem Sleichem's short stories, is set in a poor Jewish village in Czarist Russia in the early years of the twentieth century. The themes are universal -- tradition, family, love and marriage, resignation, regret, and optimism -- and the characters are honest, funny, and memorable. Songs like "Sunrise, Sunset," "If I Were A Rich Man," and "Matchmaker" help tell this dramatic story in the best tradition of American Musical Theater.
Rating = 5 Golden Bridges
Reviewed By = Mauricio Segura
Comments
Before I comment on the show, I
have talk a little about the venue itself. It was my first time
visiting as well, and I was extremely impressed with the place.
Woodminster is up in the Oakland
hills behind the Mormon Temple in the Joaquin Miller Park. The
theater dates back to the WW2 years (perhaps even before), and
although the seats have probably been replaced a few times since
then, they're not the most comfortable. Also, you'll be outdoors, and
that obviously means, exposure to the elements. In other words, its
advisable to bring something soft to sit on, and dress accordingly.
There, those are the only drawbacks, if you could even call them
drawbacks.
The setting itself is
breathtaking. Above and behind the stage is a view that you have to
just see to believe of the bay, with a cascade running down the hill
beneath you. The park is full of trails and picnic grounds for you to
have a full fledged picnic before the show. But make sure to save
some of the food, because they let you bring it into the theater to
enjoy during the performance. Where else can you do that? Oh, and
then there's another thing they do that I have yet to see at any
other theater, all kids, 16 and under (each child must be accompanied
by a paying adult), get to enjoy the show for free!
As I sit here going over the
evening in my mind, I find I have a dilemma. Let me explain. The
hardest reviews to write, are the one's that are either complete
bombs or complete masterpieces. Because either way, it's so good or
so bad, that you're not going to have much to pinpoint. It's so much
easier when you have a half bad show with highlights, or a great show
with drawbacks, because you can grab on to things that stand out and
expand on them. Extremes make for short reviews, and I for one, am
not into writing a short review. But in this case, I don't have much
of a choice.
Woodminster's production of
Fiddler on the Roof is one of this years theatrical masterpieces. I
very rarely give a 5 Golden Bridge review for the reason I just
stated in the previous paragraph. If I was to pick any negatives from
the evening it would be the semi-uncomfortable seats, the cold air,
the seven year old in Giants gear giving me a hard time over my A's
cap (can't we all just get along?), and a few instances with the
actors mic's turning off. But none of that had anything to do with
the actual performance, which was absolutely wonderful.
Beginning with the sets, at first
I found them quite vague. The painted backdrop of rolling hills and
trees were fine, but the unsymmetrical homes threw me off a bit.
However, once the show began and I saw how the homes were converted
to indoor settings, I realized the ingenuity in it, and suddenly, in
my mind, it all worked.
From the kids to the adults, all
of the actors were at the top of their game. Their voices were
superb! When you can actually feel the emotions being portrayed in a
scene (Sunrise, Sunset / Chavaleh / Anatevka) you know the actors
have a special gift. And this cast definitely has it! They compliment
each other, as did the three sisters during “Matchmaker,
Matchmaker”, or the entire cast in the marriage scene, and of
coarse the funniest part of the performance, Tevye's Dream!
Speaking of Tevye, I've seen four
different stage versions of FOTR in my reviewing career, including
one major Broadway production starring Harvey Fierstein. But Bruce
Winant who plays Tevye in this production completely blows them all
out of the water. In fact, I will go on record stating that he is
practically on par with Topal himself, who is the actor who portrayed
Tevye in the 1971 Academy Award winning film adaption. Winant is
flawless, his voice impeccable, his stage presence is undeniable, and
I would say plenty more if I had my thesaurus handy and opened to the
word, incredible!
Of coarse, no musical can be a
success without a good orchestra backing it up. And conductor Richard
Vetterli lead his team of musicians to pure perfection. I also can't
leave out all of the people behind the scenes who helped to put all
of this together. A true gem!
Its a shame that this is only playing two weekends,but you still have this coming weekend to catch this wonderful show. So get a nice picnic
together, head out to the park for the day, and finish the evening with
Fiddler on the Roof! Trust me, you'll thank me for it!
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See you at the show!
Cheers!!