Fiddler on the Roof

Fulton Theatre, Lancaster, PA

FIDDLER casting and singing are ‘right on’ at Fulton

“By the end of the Fulton's "Fiddler on the Roof," you'll miss Anatevka, too. Thursday's opening night was the kind of thrill that only comes to a stage once in a blue moon thanks to right-on casting.”

“This show packs so much excitement and fun in the first act, I dreaded the inevitable stinging reality of the second: 1905 Russia just wasn't a good place to be a Jew.”

“But before that act, the audience gets a charming Tevye connecting in "If I Were a Rich Man," a stunning full-chorus sound of "Sabbath Prayer" and one of the funniest on-stage dream sequences to ever make a crowd roll. There's also a hilarious pub scene where "To Life" is brought to life with some fantastic original choreography reproduced by Gary John La Rosa, who also directs. It's the wedding scene, though, that will make you want to convert, with some of the script's best banter dialogue and a crowd-pleasing, not-to-be-missed quartet dancing with bottles balanced on their heads.”

“If you're going to see a Fulton show this season, it should be this one. The Fulton's "Fiddler" roars onto stage, shows you a good time, then quietly goes away with a sweet, gentle ending that will put you in the holiday spirit — whatever your holiday.”

Susan E. Lindt – Intelligencer Journal

Fulton cast does the classic ‘Fiddler’ proud

Cast puts on strong performance of the tragic story of a Jewish village in Czarist Russia.

”Fiddler on the Roof is a great show - a show that's hard to mess up because it's constructed so well, has some great songs, and tells a story that is both universal and strikingly individual.”

”It took about two minutes Thursday night to know that the Fulton Opera House's new production of this classic musical was going to be a winner.”

”First, Stephen Berger came out as Tevye and began his running monologue with God. He was warm and funny and had the commanding yet harried presence a strong Tevye must have. You never see the wheels turning in Berger's performance. Then came the first production number of the show, "Tradition," where the entire cast, led by Tevye, comes out and sings about how things are in the Jewish village of Anatevka, Russia, in 1905. If the song gives you goose bumps - and this one sure did - well, you know you're in for a great night of theater.”

”Director Gary John La Rosa has done a tremendous job with this production.”

”The pace is swift, there is a lot of humor and the emotional highs and lows come shining through. I defy anyone to have a dry eye when the show comes to an end.”

”La Rosa reproduces the original choreography of Jerome Robbins and it's quite well done. In particular, the bottle dance, performed during Tzeitel's wedding, is great fun.”

”Ron Barnett is musical director, Robert Klingelhoefer designed the set and Beth Dunkelberger created the costumes. They are all at the top of their game.”

Jane Holahan – Lancaster New Era

Fiddler sounds a sweet and simple tune

"’Frehliches Krismes.’ That's ‘Merry Christmas’ in Yiddish, which should probably be an oxymoron, but somehow works out quite nicely in the Fulton's holiday production of "Fiddler on the Roof."

”Directed for the Fulton by Gary John La Rosa, who re-creates the original Jerome Robbins choreography, the show celebrates life in all its unexpectedness — a balancing act as difficult as ... wait for it ... fiddling on a roof.”

”A 10-piece orchestra under the direction of Ron Barnett enhances classic numbers such as "Sunrise, Sunset" and "If I Were a Rich Man," and the huge 38-member cast shines, making a three-hour show (the original was even longer) speed by smoothly.”

”All-in-all, the Fulton gives its audience a joyful holiday gift, one that reminds us how traditions and transitions are both part of life, separated by just two little letters. Right? Of course, right.”

Marty Crisp – Sunday News

Playhouse on the Square, TN

Fiddler Goes for Tradition

“Playhouse on the Square has revived the 1964 Broadway musical under the direction and choreography of Memphis newcomer Gary John La Rosa. He’s been well-apprenticed in the Fiddler school of staging. La Rosa appeared in the 30th anniversary Broadway revival starring Topol and the 35th anniversary national tour with Theodore Bikel. He’s staged the show several times before.”

“For those who want a Fiddler on the Roof awash in both theatrical and Jewish orthodoxy, La Rosa paints an earnest picture.”

“La Rosa’s choreography in the wedding scene – particularly when the bottles are balanced atop the dancers’ hats – is fairly astonishing…”

Christopher Blank – Commercial Appeal

Maine State Music Theatre, Brunswick, ME

“Despite recent professional and community stagings elsewhere, area theatergoers will converge on Brunswick for this final week to enjoy the best production many will ever see, MSMT’s masterful presentation of the changing world of Tevye the dairyman.”

“Fiddler on the Roof is a beautiful story, and MSMT tells it with great wit, sympathy and authority. Under the direction of Gary John La Rosa, MSMT has successfully matched professional Equity talent to these formidable roles.”

“MSMT’s production of Fiddler on the Roof belongs in the drop-whatever-you’re-doing-to-see-it-now-category."

Scott Andrews – Footlights

Music Theatre's Fiddler Warm and Familiar

“The result is a warm and subtle production that portends a strong, pleasing 37th season."

“Thoughtfully directed and staged by Gary John La Rosa, who has appeared in and staged Fiddler before (but not here), this production has a muted beauty in color and tone. The timing is natural, the flow, smooth. The overall effect is bittersweet nostalgia, full of excitement and dangers of the future, and the eroding security of the past."

Barbara Bartels – Times Record

Montclair Musical Theatre, NJ

Fiddler Upholds Traditions

“…in the capable hands of director / choreographer Gary John La Rosa, the show moves along briskly and effectively, which is no small feat for a musical that runs nearly three hours. …La Rosa has not lost sight of the fact that the emotional simplicity of the story can only truly affect audiences if the production itself is equally unadorned. …One element that makes this Fiddler stand head and shoulders above the rest is La Rosa's choreography.

…It is no easy task to keep Fiddler on the Roof fresh and alive after countless incarnations on countless stages, and repeated viewings for many audience members. MOC accomplishes this and more with the current production, one that upholds the traditions of excellence associated with the piece. To borrow from Tevye, "there is no other hand" – this "Fiddler" should not be missed."

Bill Van Sant – Essex Journal

Westchester Broadway Theatre, Elmsford, NY

Fiddler is a Miracle of Miracles

“If the words fresh and Fiddler on the Roof don't seem to fit in the same sentence, you haven't been to Elmsford lately. At the Westchester Broadway Theatre there, an intelligent and sensitive revival of the 1964 musical by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick demonstrates what a classic this show is. Though its very title may prompt a yawn, the work itself is a discovery – no matter how many times you may have seen it elsewhere."

“After a dispiriting dry spell of routine productions, the dinner theater is suddenly alive again with a show that can be recommended not just to the theater's faithful regular clientele, but to those who have never been there before.”

“…there is superb choreography (also true to Robbins) by Gary John La Rosa, a newcomer to Elmsford."

“It is a production which everything goes right.”

Jacques le Sourd – Gannett Newspapers

Don’t Fiddle Around & Miss a Great Show

"What truly distinguishes this production from the others is Gary John La Rosa's choreography and the performers who execute it.”

Cynthia Topps – The Times Herald-Record

Westchester's Fiddler on the Roof a Sure-Fire Hit

“Watching the wonderful village numbers, "Tradition," "To Life" and "The Wedding Dance" – with the demanding choreographic precision that includes the difficult bottle dance – as well as many numbers incorporating the threading of groups in intricate weaves of lightening folkloric patterns, one agrees with lover Perchik in watching the show that "Everything is right at hand, simple and clear," even when the performance skills demanded are very complex. Credit director George Puello and choreographic director Gary John La Rosa with presenting Fiddler… with a direct approach filled with vivacity that balances the troubling message of everyday pain and hardship in the domain of Anatevka, 1905.”

Daphne Kraft - Herald & News

West Virginia Public Theatre, WV

‘Fiddler’ Hits the Right Notes

“West Virginia Public Theatre's production of Fiddler on the Roof opened to a not-so-full house Tuesday at the WVU Creative Arts Center. Too bad. The several empty seats scattered throughout the audience represented people who missed out on a good show full of lively songs and subtle humor."

“Spiro Malas, a world-renowned opera star, used his strong voice in the role of Tevye…”

“Though all the scenes are good, the best is 'The Dream'…”

“Fiddler on the Roof will provide a good night's entertainment for the family.”

Pamela Cyphert Queen – The Dominion Post

Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre, ID

‘Fiddler,’ Rhodes Really Raise the Roof

“However, a good Tevye guarantees only a good production, not a great one. For the show to be great, many more elements must contribute. This show, directed and choreographed by Gary John La Rosa, comes close to great in many ways.”

“…the entire ensemble moved with grace and authority.”

“La Rosa came up with one wonderful directing touch in having the part of the Fiddler played by a young boy…”

“And it does all of this with humor and exceptional melodies. May Fiddler be a tradition that never dies.”

Jim Kershner – The Spokesman-Review

Love Ya, Tevye

“…this is a poignant Fiddler. It explores themes of persecution and personal loss without idealizing Sholem Aleichem’s characters.”

“In a sequence that’s unusual for musicals – only a handful treat religious faith with so much seriousness – La Rosa deploys his cast in five choruses, two of them behind a scrim backdrop, ethereal and dreamlike. It’s quite moving, and the best evocation of genuine faithfulness in a show that depends on our believing in the villagers’ piety.”

“The pogrom has begun, and it’s La Rosa’s direction that makes it seem like such a shock in the middle of all the festivities.”

“At their farewell, Tevye prays that God will at least keep his child warm – and La Rosa stages it so that, even if she is shipping off to Siberia, we see the father’s wishes granted.”

“La Rosa uses scrim to create dream-like effects, most notably during ‘Sabbath Prayer’ and the ‘Anatevka’ finale, when groups of characters separate from the main action but are also used to comment on it.”

“As the Coeur d’Alene Fiddler comes to its close, so do our spirits.”

Michael Bowen – Inlander

Fiddler on the Roof at CST

“The lady seated next to me put it best: ‘It’s a long show actually, but I wish it would go on forever.’ A huge house filling the NIC auditorium sat mesmerized Saturday night, till the final bows – when they sprang up and huzzaed as though having just observed a miracle.”

“What was seen here garnered spontaneous and appropriate applause in the middle of several dances.”

Wayne Caudill – Nickel’s Worth