Review: Mazel Tov, Mazel Tov To AZ Theatre Company's FIDDLER ON THE ROOF

Uprootedness, exile, dispersion. The fate of peoples throughout history whose ultimate recourse for survival has been fidelity to faith, family, and tradition. For over fifty years, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF has epitomized this struggle and manifested it in one of theater's most iconic characters, Tevye the dairyman of the shtetl Anatevka.

David Ira Goldstein, in his 25th and final year as Artistic Director of Arizona Theatre Company, has mounted an intensely human and deeply moving production of FIDDLER that is exemplary both in its distinctive portrayal of characters and place and its magnificent stagecraft (Kathryn Van Meter's spirited choreography, William Forrester's exquisite scenic design, and Cynthia Savage's brilliant costumery).

Eric Polani Jensen infuses the role of Tevye with an authenticity and humanity that distinguishes itself from more traditional interpretations. He plays the role natural, delivering an exquisitely calibrated and sensitively vocalized performance as a man struggling to honor tradition while accommodating as best he can to the whirlwind of change around him.

The cast is sterling: Anne Allgood as Tevye's wife, Golde. Jennifer Wingerter, Taylor Pearlstein, and Krista Curry as Tevye's daughters, Tzeitel, Hodel, and Chava. The men who defy convention and draw his daughters away ~ Kenny Metzger as Motel the tailor, Patrick Shelton as Perchik the defiant radical, and Kevin Milnes as Fyedka, a Russian soldier. Sarah Wolter, radiant and electrifying in a show-stopping scene as Fruma-Sarah, the ghost of Lazar Wolf's wife, conjured up to persuade Golde that Tzeitel must wed Motel and not Lazar (Armen Dirtadian). The list of kudos goes on, all to say that this FIDDLER is one power- and emotion-packed and surely memorable show that is a must-see.

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF continues its run at the Herberger Theater Center in Phoenix through January 29th.

Photo credit to Tim Fuller