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Culture Theatre

Fiddler on the Roof

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF by Joseph Stein, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, directed by Sammy Dallas Bayes (Mirvish). To January 10. $26-$120. 416-872-1212. See listing. Rating: NNN


Fiddler on the Roof is a classic musical that cuts across cultural lines, a show about tradition, change and family. Too bad the fiddler is shakier than usual on his housetop perch in the current touring production.[rssbreak]

As Tevye, Harvey Fierstein relies on his gravelly voice and comic takes to portray the village dairyman who converses with God, fights with his wife, Golde (Susan Cella), and wonders how to marry off his five daughters. Three in fact do wed, but not as he would wish.

But Fierstein invests little genuine emotion in the role, sometimes even sending up the character with his delivery. Cella’s just as dry, though the two have a believable exchange in the second act, and the show’s finale is quite touching.

They certainly have good material to work with, for Joseph Stein’s book is strong and unsentimental. Tevye’s trouble is that he sees all sides of a problem we watch his world and customs dissolve around him.

Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick’s life-affirming songs, filled with Hebraic-influenced melodies, are just as powerful. It’s hard not to feel pulled into the world of the play when the company’s singing Tradition, To Life or Sunrise, Sunset, or when the best cast members – Rena Strober, Jamie Davis and Deborah Grausman as Tevye’s eldest daughters and Erik Liberman as the shy tailor Motel – put their heart and voice into filling out their roles.

jonkap@nowtoronto.com

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