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‘Fiddler’ Performance First Class To The Very End

“Fiddler on the Roof,”

Monday, April 8, at the Spokane Opera House

Is “Fiddler on the Roof” the most powerful musical of all time?

A lot of people think so, and for supporting evidence I submit this first-class Theodore Bikel touring production. If you don’t laugh and cry through this, you must be made of Tevye’s cheese.

This production delivers all of the emotion, all of the wit and all of the great music that “Fiddler” has to offer.

A handful of actors were born for the role of Tevye, and Bikel is one of them. For one thing, he has The Voice. Bikel’s booming baritone allows us to hear the familiar songs - “Tradition,” “If I Were A Rich Man,” “Sunrise, Sunset” - in new ways. With Bikel’s skills as a folk singer, these songs come off as folk stories infused with drama and poetry.

His speaking voice is just as expressive. Even in conversation - with his wife, with his daughters, with God - he sounds as if he’s making folk music. And when he wants to roar, as when he roars at Chava, he sounds like a lion or an avenging biblical patriarch.

While pure acting may not be his strong point, he makes good use of nuance. I can’t even count the number of times he earned laughter through small hand gestures, tilts of the head and meaningful glances to the heavens.

The rest of the cast in this all-Equity production is first rate. The daughters, played by Eileen Tepper, Debra Wiseman, Dana Lynn Caruso, Terry Kaye and Elisa Sagardia, were all strong. So were the male villagers, who were especially good in the three big dance numbers, “To Life,” “Bottle Dance” and “Wedding Dance.”

The strongest supporting performances came from Lola Powers as Yenta, the meddling matchmaker; Daniel C. Cooney as Perchik, the fervent student; and James Kall as Motel, the bashful tailor.

The sets were good, echoing the surreal nature of the originals - fanciful huts seemingly marching up into the sky.

I was especially impressed with the music, under the direction of Sheilah Walker. In other productions this year, we have suffered with as few as four musicians in the pit, enhanced with cheesy recorded music. But for this production, the traveling musicians were supplemented with an entire pit-full of local professionals, bringing the total to more than 20. The sound was glorious.

Finally, I have to pay homage to the show itself. Joseph Stein (book), Jerry Bock (music) and Sheldon Harnick (lyrics) have done more than merely create good entertainment. They have actually written a moving lesson in the history of the Jewish people.

Here, in a handful of songs, is the distilled essence of the plight of the Eastern European Jews. Allowed barely to exist in their mud villages, they managed to keep their culture and religion alive. And then, as muddy and poor as those villages were, they were thrown out on a moment’s notice.

“It’s not like it was the Garden of Eden,” they say, with resignation, loading their carts.

“Fiddler on the Roof” is not just European history; it is also American history. “Fiddler” has given millions of people an understanding of why the Jews came to this country and an understanding of who they were before they came.

A musical couldn’t leave a better legacy.

“Fiddler on the Roof” will be staged tonight and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and Friday at 8 p.m. at the Opera House. Tickets are $39-$30, available at all regional G&B Select-a-Seat outlets, or by calling 325-SEAT or (800) 325-SEAT.

, DataTimes