'Fiddler' production lively, charming

By Joseph T. Rozmiarek
Advertiser Drama Critic

Hodel (Jana Anguay) tells her father Tevye (Steve Wagenseller) that she must leave home to join her husband in Siberia in "Fiddler on the Roof" at Windward Community College. Brad Goda 'Fiddler on the Roof' 7:30 Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays (no show today), 4 p.m. Sundays Paliku Theatre, Windward Community College $25 235-7433, 526-4400

How wonderful to be part of a large audience that may be seeing it for the first time and — caught up in moments of fresh discovery — enjoying the funny parts and the sad parts all over again.

Combine director Ron Bright, excellent singing actors, and the distinctive delight of the new Paliku Theatre, and "Fiddler On the Roof" at Windward Community College is pretty darn wonderful.

Although the musical by Joseph Stein, Jerry Bock, and Sheldon Harnick is now 40 years old, the story of Tevye, the milkman who talks to God about changing times and his headstrong daughters, has earlier roots in short stories by Sholem Alecheim.

The time is 1905. The place is a tiny and remote Russian village. Revolution is brewing, pogroms against Jews are spreading to the countryside, and Tevye's daughters are claiming their right to choose their own husbands. Without firm traditions, life would be as precarious as a fiddler on the roof.

The immediate charm and embraceable humanity of the central character of Tevye strike familiar chords with audiences and have made the musical enduring and broadly popular. Steve Wagenseller in the role helps keep it that way.

Wagenseller creates a strong stage presence with his rich voice and large frame. In the Paliku Theatre — which feels at once both spacious and intimate — he also has the subtleties just right. A shrug or an arched eyebrow carries in this space, and Wagenseller uses these small things to express the character's humanity.

He gets plenty of opportunity. "If I Were A Rich Man" is Tevye's set-piece solo, and his internalized debates with God develop his personal struggle. Big numbers like "To Life" and "The Dream" illustrate his interpersonal charisma.

Supporting roles are also excellently realized. Tracy Yamamoto is rigidly steadfast as wife Golde and matches Wagenseller on their "Do You Love Me" duet. Tiffany Thurston, Jana Anguay, and Kathleen Hicks deliver the popular "Matchmaker" trio, and Anguay pours the right amount of melancholy into her "Far From the Home I Love" solo.

The girls' suitors do well with one good number apiece: Ken Walter as Motel the tailor on "Miracle of Miracles" and Keith Reagan as Perchik the student on "Now I Have Everything." The character roles are neatly turned out by Sharon Adair as a delightful Yente and Glen Corlin as the butcher Lazar Wolf.

Ideally, one could wish for a stronger chorus, but with Clarke Bright directing the music and Ry'n Sabado reproducing the original choreography, the big numbers fill the stage and give the right feel. The full cast delivery of "Tradition" opens the show well and sets the tone for a satisfying evening.

Lloyd Riford's lighting and wagon sets work and the orchestra is on target.

A couple of advisories: the show is long — playing more than three hours with intermission — and the thermostat is set somewhere around "arctic blast." So bundle up, pack your parka and enjoy an excellent revival of a great show.

Joseph T. Rozmiarek is The Advertiser's drama critic.