CENTERblog

Fiddler on the Roof Strikes the Right Balance
by Ally Landis - South Anchorage High School/Alaska Pacific University

On Thursday night the Alaska Theatre of Youth’s rendition of Fiddler on the Roof was able to strike a balance between the solemn mood and the comedic dialogue dispersed throughout the musical.

The musical, directed by Christian “Hepcat” Heppinstall, Leslie Ward and Oliver Siemens, follows the life of a Jewish family living in Russia in 1905 and the ever-present struggle between tradition and change.

The first song of the first act, Tradition, consisting of Tevye, the main character, and the rest of the townspeople, sets the mood for the rest of the play. While the singing was not the strongest, the argument that broke out in the end about a horse and a mule brought smiles and a few chuckles to the faces of the audience.

The next act portrays Tzeitel, Hodel and Chava, three daughters of Tevye, singing about the village matchmaker, Yente. The staging was not as good as it could have been, and at one point the sisters are behind clothes hanging on a clothesline and it was hard to hear them singing. But the sisterly jesting and witty dialogue, such as the sisters talking about their marriage prospects kept the audience engaged. One sister exclaims, “the last one was so old, he had no hair” and another responds with “you want hair, get a monkey.”

The acting is a little stiff at times, such as when Tzeitel and her friend from childhood Motel start to kiss but are interrupted by the entrance of Tevye, but the characters personalities are portrayed well and one could truly see the actors enjoy themselves. At Tzeitel and Motel’s wedding, along with the traditional Jewish dance, some handstands and spin moves take the spotlight.

Along with the more upbeat scenes came the serious ones, such as when Perchik, the fiancé of Hodel, is beaten by the police when he tries to stop them from overturning the house. The scene was performed exceptionally and caused the audience to shudder with the rest of the villagers. The cast did a good job transitioning from somber scenes to more happy scenes and was able to distinguish them from each other to keep the plot moving. Fiddler on the Roof has a fairly complex plot because of the large number of major characters and different events happening throughout the performance. However, it was not difficult to follow the storyline.

The Fiddler on the Roof certainly entertained and managed to develop a more somber plot as well as the humorous side of the characters. There were undoubtedly some rough spots, and the singing was not as strong but the Alaska Theatre of Youth is all about “that turn form an awkward kid into a polished actor,” and the effort put into the musical by the cast members should be recognized.

Fiddler on the Roof is playing December 4-6, 12-13 at 7 p.m. and December 6-7, 13-14 at 2 p.m.

Fiddler on the Roof, Jr.
Alaska Theatre of Youth
Thursday, December 4, 2008 at 7 pm
Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, Sydney Laurence Theatre