Review: EL VIOLINISTA EN EL TEJADO / FIDDLER ON THE ROOF at Teatro Astral

Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein. It tells the story of a Jewish family located in Russia in 1905.

This show demonstrates how tradition shapes love, and how love shapes tradition.

In a Jewish family that has its values determined by their culture, a father has to decide if he's going to put his daughter's happiness first, or if tradition is for him stronger than their desires to marry for love. The new generation's ideals collide with the beliefs that are set in the Jewish culture.

This has consequences in everyone's way of thinking. After 25 years of being married, Godel, seeing what actually falling in love looks like, starts questioning if she really loves her husband, whom she met the day of her wedding.

This is how love, custom and tradition get mixed up in a show that reminds us the worth of family and love, and reflects on who we are and where we come from.

With a beautiful staging and lighting design, this Argentinean production brings this family to life for the third time in this country.

The cast's voices, directed by the amazing Sebastian Mazzoni, can bring you to tears or have you at the edge of your seat when they please. The beautiful choreography looks both modern and traditional, and accompanies the music perfectly.
In a wide cast, led by legendary tango singer Raul Lavie (whom you would never believe is 80 years old by the amount of energy he brings to the show) some performances stick out.

Omar Calicchio and Patricio Arellano bring truthful and fun performances to the table, while Manuela Del Campo creates a beautiful and curious Java that makes you want to give her a hug, which also happens with the talented Julia Tozzi.

We can only hope to see more productions like this one here in Argentina, where, I'm glad to say, Musical Theatre is growing faster every day.