By Genevieve Presley
Columnist
Last month, I went to see “Fiddler On The Roof.” I had never seen it, so I didn’t know what to expect, and what I saw really surprised me.
Set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in or around 1905, Tevye, a milkman attempts to maintain his Jewish and cultural traditions when outside influences invade his family’s lives.
I loved the village scenes used in the musical. They were very realistic and fascinated me. My favorite performances were Tevye played by Johnathan Hashmonay, Golde played by Maite Uzal, Hodel played by GraceAnn Kontak and Tzeitel played by Leah Platt.
My favorite songs were “Prologue: Tradition”, sung by Tevye and the Villagers, “Now I Have Everything”, sung by Perchik and Hodel and “Far From The Home I Love”, sung by Hodel.
“Tradition” was the perfect introductory song for the musical. I loved the beginning lyric the best: “A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? But in our little village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof, trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck. It isn’t easy. You may ask, why do we stay up there if it’s so dangerous? We stay because Anatevka is our home… And how do we keep our balance? That I can tell you in one word… Tradition.”
I think that “Now I have everything fit the scene it was sung in so well. I love when Perchik sings: “Now I have everything, not only everything, I have a little bit more. Besides having everything, I know what everything’s for.”
“Far From The Home I Love” was more heartfelt than the rest which is what makes it one of my favorites. It’s sung by Hodel and my favorite part is when she sings: “Hopeless now I stand with him, watching older dreams grow dim. Oh, what a melancholy choice this is, wanting home, wanting him. Closing my heart to every hope but his, leaving the home I love.”
From the sets, to the performances and music I loved every second. I would recommend this extremely captivating musical to anyone.
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