Patrick

I'm curious. Did I miss it? Didn't the show open a week ago? I've seen a number of other reviews, but was curious what was said in the Times? Or hasn't it come out yet?

MFNYC

You missed it. It came out on 2/27. Try this link:
http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/thea...=1077011419597

MFNYC

I've read other reviews since this one, this is by far the worst. Time magazine had a much more favorable review, as did the other papers.

HowardR

The Times didn't like. Other reviewers did. I'm with the other reviewers on this one!

Rob

My wife saw Fiddler with Zero Mostel so many years ago. She saw this version, in preview, the night before the opening. While she enjoyed the show her comment was that it was "bland" in comparison to the original. The Times critic used the word bland in his review .

Patrick

Thanks for the link, MFNYC. I thought I had been checking the Times website daily, but somehow missed the review.
I agree this is the most negative one I've seen, but I have yet to see any which give Alfred Molina any more that a "warm" review. And essentially it seems Ben Brantley is saying what others have said about the production -- only exaggerating the points (which he does so frequently).

HowardR

Patrick, Alfred Molina is serviceable. He does a decent job, but he's certainly no Zero Mostel (but then, who is?). I thought Brantley was unduly harsh in his criticism of the show. The audience (which included a lot of children) at the performance I saw certainly enjoyed the show.
Anyway, it's certainly worth seeing.

Patrick

Yes, Howard I'd like to see it. But the fact that the audiences like it really in this case doesn't mean a whole lot. Fiddler is a guaranteed success with audience. I played Motel the tailor maaaannnnny years ago in a very poor community theatre production. There were standing ovations every night for the show -- totally undeserved. But it is that kind of a show. (By the way, standing ovations were not the norm for that theatre's audiences.)

HowardR

Sorry, to differ with you, Patrick, but I'll have to disagree with your opinion that the audience's opinion doesn't matter much. It matters a helluva lot! Further, I'd add that it was mainly composed of New Yorkers, who historically are a tougher audience than tourists!
And, to compare the reaction of the audience to this production with the audience at your community theater version is meaningless. Who doesn't give friends and acquaintances a standing ovation?

Patrick

Howard, I'm sorry you either didn't read or understand my post. Regarding the community theatre -- no I was not making any comparison. But that theatre always did five shows a year, three of them musicals. I was involved in a number of them and saw many more. Fiddler was the ONLY one that ever had the audience standing and even cheering -- and believe me it was not that good of a production. You ask who doesn't give their family and friends a standing ovation? That crowd -- at least it was the only show I ever saw it happen for! It IS that kind of a show. I also saw a dinner theatre production which was mediocre at best and the little old ladies who were regulars were leaving in absolute tears carrying on as if it was the best thing they had ever seen -- trust me and everybody else who works in the theatre -- you want a guaranteed success as far as the audience is concerned? Do Fiddler on the Roof!!

Now please don't misinterpret what I'm saying here -- perhaps this production is great. I'm just speaking about the show in general.

And as to what the audience thinks, yes, you are right, that is always the most important thing in theatre. All I'm saying is that it will be hard to find an audience that doesn't love almost any production of Fiddler on the Roof. That's why I said "in THIS CASE it doesn't mean a whole lot". For an audience NOT to enjoy it, it would have to be an incredibly bad, bad production!

CalgirlSusan

What an interesting thread. I have to tell you I seldom look at the New York posts since I'm not headed there, but I only looked at this one because Fiddler on the Roof is my favorite musical of all time. I'll agree with what Patrick said. I think I could see it done by a group of junior high school students I didn't know and I'd still cry and want to stand up at the end. Who cares what the reviewers say? I bet I'd love it.

Maggi

Hey Patrick, I thought I recognized a fellow thespian out there! I have done the music direction for "Fiddler" several times. Our community theater group got the same response. In fact there wasn't a night I could get through "Far From the Home I Love" without tearing up myself. (Try wiping your eyes while playing keyboard and conducting at the same time.)

For this show, "Tevye" is everything. Stratford (Canada) did an unfortunate production of Fiddler a few years ago casting one of my usually favorite actors - tall, skinny, soft-spoken Brent Carver -in this role. He should have been playing Motel instead. It was one of the few shows I have ever disliked in Stratford.

We haven't seen Alfred Molina in this role, and he is a great actor, but I don't know if he can pull off the bemused joviality the role requires in the first part of the show. How did Zero Mostel compare to Topol who played the part (excellently, I thought) in the film?

Rob

I saw Fiddler on late night tv a week or two ago and it reminded me that Topol did an excellent job. He was almost as good as Mostel and that is high praise.

Patrick

Maggi, your comment about the Stratford production makes me want to ask -- did you see their West Side Story maybe three or four years ago? I normally admire their "colorless" casting, but casting the Asian girl who had done Miss Saigon as a Puerto Rican, and then using the little blond effeminate kid as Tony was more than I could take. THAT was the worst production I have ever seen there. Why don't they quit with the musicals? Although I loved their new production of Dracula -- I think the same year as West Side Story.

Maggi

Sometimes their biggest fault is that they try to be original at the expense of the material. (A red Ferrari driven on stage during "Taming of the Shrew"). I didn't see "West Side Story". I really used to enjoy the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, especially "Pirates of Penzance" which put Brent Carver on the map. This has just come out on DVD.

MFNYC

Speaking of audience, when I saw this current version in previews, it was without a doubt, an off night (I mentioned this in my earlier post about Fiddler). The audience was not responsive at all and the cast was a bit 'bland'. I don't know who was reacting to who first, but it was certainly not a great performance. As it turned out Barbara Barrie was fired (or quit, depending on what you read), right after the performance I saw (in fact she never came out for a curtain call so we figured something was up). This is the only time I can recall that I saw something on an obviously 'off' night. I saw Hairspray 3 times, the first in previews, the audience was literally dancing in their seats at the end. The 2nd time I took my daughter, great show, but dull audience. The 3rd time, great show and very good audience. I enjoyed the show immensely each and every time, but the audiences' reaction certianly adds to the experience.

Tonight I'm seeing Twentieth Century. It seems ot be getting a good buzz so we'll see.