Long Beach Playhouse’s ‘Fiddler On The Roof’ gets standing ovation

Eric Schiffer as Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof,” in its final weekend at the Long Beach Playhouse. (Courtesy photo)

One way to judge the success of a theatre production is the reaction of the audience. The Long Beach Playhouse’s “Fiddler on the Roof” is a timeless classic musical that received a standing ovation Saturday night. If you want in on the action, final performances are this weekend, Aug. 1-3.

The Long Beach Playhouse is a cultural landmark serving the Southland community for over 90 years. There’s a friendly, spacious coffee area, bar, lobby, and parking lot. Not to mention a shop, costume shop, box office and more. The Mainstage is a thrust stage with an audience of 200 on three sides. In today’s financial situation it would be very difficult to create and maintain a space of this size. I congratulate their entire team for continuing to grow over the decades.

“Fiddler on the Roof” opened on Broadway in 1964, produced by Harold Prince and directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins, two giants of the American theatre. The book is by Joseph Stein, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and music by Jerry Bock. It won nine Tony Awards including Best Musical, Book, Music, Directing Choreography, Actor, and Actress. In 1972 it won a special Tony for the longest-running musical in Broadway Theatre.

It’s 1905, in a fictional Jewish village in Russia during the reign of the Czar. Radical ideas and political violence are finding their way to this small community. Tevye (Eric Schiffer), a poor hardworking milkman, has raised his five daughters with his wife Golde (Lisa Meert) guided by his relationship with God and Jewish tradition. One by one, his three oldest daughters (Carrie Angeroda-Korre, Rachel Girardt and Lorelei Dumas) resist tradition by marrying the men they choose rather than those designated by the local matchmaker Yente (Sherry Domerego).

Tevye accepts the bending of tradition as long as it doesn’t violate Jewish law. Tevye has a special harmonious relationship with the local Christian Constable (Jack Murphy) who warns of upcoming disruptions by the Czar’s forces. The Czar’s increasing persecution of the Russian Jews leads to violence and the forced removal of the Jewish people from their homes and land. Tevye and the villagers persist, preparing to restart their lives in new places.

This is a full Broadway musical staged in an intimate space with a full cast of 25 along with musicians occasionally onstage. Director Gregory Cohen maximizes the intimacy of the space and performances. He makes some creative choices including presetting the actors onstage, engaging with each other as the audience enters. (The Constable -- in a strong and firm manner -- told me I did not have permission to enter the village as I was weaving to my seat through the full house.)

There is action in his assembling some of the cast in character in the aisles, and using the aisles for entrances and exits. The fiddler on the roof is striking as is her use elsewhere on stage. Tevye’s nightmare scene is hilarious. The scenes with his daughters are the most touching.

Tevye’s daughters Lorelei Dumas, Cassie Angerosa-Korrie, and Rachel Girardet are the heartbeat of ‘Fiddler on the Roof.” (Courtesy photo)

My only issue is with the staging that is primarily focused on the audience at the front of the thrust stage. The majority of the audience are on the sides. This is not a proscenium stage. Use it. We want to see the actors’ faces. Move the actors around. Let them break the fourth wall. Think of it more as playing in the round, carefully placing the set pieces, giving the scenes and the actors more movement. Cheating to the audience as well.

Musical Director Stephen Olear and the orchestra make the music even more powerful in this intimate space, especially to the Fiddler (Iggi El Kouati) who is literally perched on top of Tevye’s house while Tevye introduces us to the village with the popular “Tradition.” And this ensemble can sing.

Set Designer David Scaglione creates Tevye’s minimal fully functional magic box of a house at the end of the thrust stage, hiding the orchestra, and unfolding into any number of configurations to set the scenes.

Costume Designer Christina Bayer and crew are applauded for their creation of remarkable costumes that highlight the production.

Choreography by Kysa Cohen keeps the ensemble moving, and is especially impressive with the bottle dance, and the wedding dance.

Eric Schiffer as Tevye in the backbone of the production. Schiffer has presence, wit, and charm. In this intimate space he unveils his vulnerability as he struggles with moral dilemmas and with God.

Lisa Meert as Tevye’s wife, Golde, has a commanding and comic presence. She is as hardworking as her husband. All she wants a rich man to marry her daughters.

I can’t emphasize enough how the performances of Tzeitel (Cassie Angerosa-Korrie); Hodel (Rachel Girardet) and Chava (Lorelei Dumas) as Tevye’s daughters are pure beauty and the heartbeat of the production.

Cast highlights also include The Constable (Jack Murphy) as a solid actor.

Perchik (Adriano Brown) as the young radical from the city and his line, “Love is radical!”

Lazar Wolf (Karl Schott) as the wealthy butcher who wants to marry Tevye’s daughter. Another solid actor.

Yente (Sherry Domerego) as the matchmaker. In this world, marriages are arranged. And this is the actor to do it.

Some of the greatest songs in American Musical Theatre are here, including Tradition, If I Were A Rich Man, Sunrise Sunset, and Do You Love Me.

You won’t find an intimate “Fiddler on the Roof” anywhere like this. You can still catch it this weekend at the Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E Anaheim Street, Long Beach.

Tickets:

General Admission Friday: $25
Senior/Veteran Ticket Friday: $20
General Admission Saturday and Sunday: $30
Senior/Veteran Ticket Saturday and Sunday: $25
Student/Child: $20

Online lbplayhouse.org
Box Office: 563-494-1014