Review: FIDDLER ON THE ROOF Phenomenal at Spinning Tree Theatre in Kansas City

As spectacular as the lights of the Aurora Borealis, that is how Spinning Tree Theatre lit up the stage on opening night of Fiddler on the Roof at the Just Off Broadway Theatre. Jerry Bock wrote the music, Sheldon Harnick the lyrics, and Joseph Stein the book for Fiddler on the Roof, a musical based on Tevye and his Daughters (or Tevye the Dairyman) and others stories written by Sholem Aleichem.

Fiddler on the Roof is the tale of Tevye a traditional Jewish father who must deal with five daughters, religious traditions, and the 1905 Russian government, which is intent on evicting the villagers. Fiddler on the Roof opened on Broadway in 1964 and was the first musical to surpass 3,000 performances. The musical is filled with memorable numbers, "Matchmaker, Matchmaker," "If I Were a Rich Man," and "Sunrise, Sunset" to name a few. Fiddler on the Roof won three Tony Awards, Best Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Book of a Musical and the revival won the Tony for Best Revival.

Michael Grayman and Andy Parkhurst direct and choreograph the Spinning Tree Theatre production. The choreography is superb, the movements natural and the musicians moving around and mixing with the villagers adds to the fascination of the small intimate stage. Bravo in Act I to the three cast members who placed wine bottles on their heads and danced around. Grayman stated there were no devices or tricks used to hold the bottles in place and the dancers only had two and a half weeks to perfect their movements.

Everything about the production, from the fabulous scenic design by Matt Mott, the lighting by Shane Rowse, sound by Jeff Eubank, and the costumes by Kate Mott draws the audience into becoming a villager of Anatevka. The modest set brings to life the poor village with clothes hanging from ropes and fences made of sticks. Parkhurst said that about 90 percent of the costumes were hand made by Mott.

Gary Neal Johnson is magnificent in the starring role of Tevye, the poppa of the five daughters who continue to break with tradition. Johnson has a very good voice but his acting and the sarcastic tones and expressions make his character believable. So believable, that I wanted to rush onto the stage and ask the poppa for an allowance.

Julie Shaw is outstanding as Golde the wife of Tevye. She has a beautiful voice and always delivers memorable performances. She has appeared at Spinning Tree Theatre in Violet, Motherhood Out Loud, Hello Again, and The Fantasticks. She steps behind the scenes in the 2015-2016 season with Spinning Tree taking on the role of associate director for their production of West Side Story.

Kami Rodgers, Sara Belhouari, and Megan Herrera take on the roles of three of Tevye's daughters. All three have fantastic voices. They each show the audience they are not just another pretty voice, but these girls can act. Rodgers as Tzeitel pleading with her father not to be matched with the butcher, Belhouari as Hodel waiting with her father for the train, and Herrera as Chava confronting her poppa in the second act.

Bob Wearing gives a grand performance as the tailor, who wants to marry Tzeitel though he lacks the courage to ask her father. Tom Lancaster gives a powerful performance as Lazar Wolf, who receives a broken promise for the hand of Tzeitel in marriage.

Rick Duplissie as the Constable, Matthew King as Sasha, Seth Macchi as Fyedka, and Mead D'Amore as Perchik gave other notable performances. Grayman and Parkhurst not only cast remarkable actors for the starring roles, but also assembled one of the most talented supporting casts to appear in Kansas City. Angie Benson provided musical direction as well as playing accordion and keyboard. The musicians included Joe Levens on guitar and mandolin and James Westbrook on clarinet. Jonathan Lloyd Schriock was phenomenal in the role of the fiddler.

This is not the first production of Fiddler on the Roof in Kansas City this theatrical season, but it should be the last, as it would be nearly impossible for any other company to do it better than Spinning Tree Theatre. Fiddler on the Roof continues at Spinning Tree Theatre through May 10. Purchase tickets by calling 816-569-5277 or online at the Spinning Tree Theatre website. Photo courtesy of Spinning Tree Theatre.

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