No matter how many times we’ve seen Fiddler on the Roof, both onstage and in the 1971 movie, it’s worth the price of admission to see Danny Burstein as Tevye, the milkman. He brings enough warmth to take the chill out of the worst winter days, and he connects with the audience because of his compassion and sincere emotion. Not to mention, this is a virile Tevye, in the prime of his manhood. We believe that he’s actually asking his abrasive wife Golde (Jessica Hecht) “Do You Love Me?” because with the world falling down around him, he needs her reassurance. For whatever reason, the wraparound which introduces the play and ends it was baffling to many in the audience. It’s simple, and rather genius. Burstein portrays a modern man in a red jacket, carrying an old, worn book (a family Bible?), who comes to the little town of Anatevka, most likely to connect with his ancestors. There is nothing there. But in his mind, the traveler recreates what it was like for the Jews to live in Pale of Settlement in Imperial Russia. His imagination takes him back to 1905; he becomes the dairyman Tevye, who is blessed with five daughters who must be married off, a lame horse, and a wife who is efficient, but hardly affectionate. The visitor comes back to himself at the end of a story of joy and heartbreak, and views the scene of the villagers being forced to leave their beloved home. He has made the connection he sought, and still in his modern red jacket, he joins the procession, pulling the cart as Tevye. He is at one with those who came before. I must say that there were many puzzled “So what’s with the red jacket?” questions as the audience filed out. Oy. In addition to Burstein’s star turn, the actresses playing the sisters Tzeitel (Alexandra Silber), Hodel (Samantha Massell), and Chava (Melanie Moore) have developed a real spirit of sisterhood which greatly enhances the family drama. Moore is especially endearing; Chava brings to mind “Modern Family’s” Alex Dunphy, bespectacled, always carrying a book, spunky. At first, Hodel and Chava want Yenta (Alix Korey) to find them husbands. Tzeitel demurs, having already fallen for Motel (Adam Kantor), a poor tailor. As the three girls sing “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” they begin to understand that being paired up by their elders is not all it’s cracked up to be. But then, life in Anatevka is not always a picnic. The overpowering shadow of the Czar looms over the town. During a festive wedding celebration, Russian soldiers appear and destroy whatever is in their path. When the villagers are forced out because they are no longer welcome in their own country, Tevye and his family leave with the other townspeople, heartbroken but not defeated in spirit. We can’t help feeling happy for those who plan to come to America. We know that they will be spared the Holocaust, and eventually become an integral part of the fabric of our society. Incidentally, if you are asked who plays the title character, the answer in this production is Jesse Kovarsky as the mournful fiddler. Trivia contests have been won and lost on this question. As we stood in line at the parking garage, I overheard a man in back of us wonder if you have to be Jewish to enjoy Fiddler on the Roof. Of course not! But it couldn’t hurt.
