TEVYE

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"Dear God, you made many, many poor people.
I realize, of course, that it's no shame to be poor.
But it's no great honor either!
So, what would have been so terrible if I had a small fortune?"

If I were a rich man,
Yubby dibby dibby dibby dibby dibby dibby dum.
All day long I'd biddy biddy bum.
If I were a wealthy man.
I wouldn't have to work hard.
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
If I were a biddy biddy rich,
Idle-diddle-daidle-daidle man.

Recently I went to see a production at a local theatre of Fiddler on the Roof, and although the show was fun, I was for the first time disappointed in an amateur production of any kind.

Fiddler on the Roof first appeared on Broadway around 1964, and in the almost 50 years of reappearing on and off Broadway, it never disappointed. Then this certain production came along and it fell flat on its collective face. The acting was decent for the most part, but the casting, some of the costuming and the background music along with whoever directed this version was horrific!

As we left the production with a group of friends, people who are very nice, fun to have around and I enjoy their company: I expressed my displeasure of the main character’s (TEVYE) portrayal.

Someone challenged me asking if I thought I could do better, and I know I could not, I’m not an actor. Then that person asked if I thought of myself as a critic, I explained we all are, or we can’t go to these productions without critiquing them for our own sense of satisfaction. Let’s face it we are all critics.

But if I am an actor, and I charged you to see a performance, but did not deliver a credible job of it, I would deserve to be criticized. Once you charge for something, all bets are off and you must deliver.

The role of Tevye is central to the whole story of Fiddler on the Roof. It is his story: it is he who speaks to both the audience and God! We focus on him and we begin to sympathize with him.  It is not only his story but also the history of the Jew in the world, making this play an important piece of work!

Marc Chagall 'Fiddler'

To portray this character, you must communicate the suffering, the piety and the devotion to your family. You must express the human suffering and expectations of the Jewish people, along with the sacred traditions and joys of simple hard life. You must take everyone out of their comfort zone who sits in the audience and take them back in time and lead them on a journey of the bondage to the land, and simple devotion to God.

After the wedding scene there is the pogrom, the destruction of the village that takes away the joys and peace of a people and replaces it with the harsh realities of life. This should have been portrayed with a passion, and enlisted the audience on the side of the suffering Tevye and his family! Instead it is delivered in a flat and uninspired way, especially when Tevye speaks to his god once more and makes another plea:

“Dear God, I know the Jewish people are your chosen people, but couldn’t you choose someone else for a change?” This is an iconic line: filled with all the history of oppression of the Jewish people through the centuries past and are still to come, yet is delivered like any of the many other lines in the play, uninspired and flat.

I will not mention where this play took place, or who the actor was, but I will say if you want to do such a play of this nature, research the characters better that you will portray, understand the passion, and feel the suffering, that makes for a great acting job! Reference Zero Mostel and Topo.