KEY POINTS:
The popularity and longevity of Fiddler on the Roof has given the musical a kitsch reputation that is completely undeserved. The show is as gritty, tough-minded and thought-provoking as is possible within the conventions of musical theatre.
Beneath the homespun wisdom and nostalgic celebration of folk culture lies a penetrating analysis of one of the central conundrums of our times: how do we reconcile our yearning for a sense of community with our ongoing love affair with individual freedom and personal autonomy?
The conflict is teased out in the ironic ruminations of Tevye, a likeable patriarch whose daughters rebel against the practice of arranged marriage and progressively cast aside the traditions that have sustained their embattled community.
Our sympathies are naturally with young lovers, but the show leaves us with a profound sense of what is lost when the close-knit world of an isolated Jewish shtetl is destroyed by the allure of modernity and the hostility of the outside world.
The central character of Tevye is magnificently by brought to life by Topol, whose identification with the role is so complete that the word performance seems inadequate.
Topol simply is Tevye and this embodiment gives him the freedom to play the character with a naturalism that transcends the artificiality of the musical genre. When Topol breaks into song or dance it feels as if he has spontaneously discovered a way of expressing his innermost thoughts and emotions.
At the heart of his performance is a voice that is as nuanced and varied as the orchestra that supports him. His richly melodic baritone superbly captures the emotional intensity of songs such as Sunrise Sunset, while a quivering falsetto is used to brilliant comic effect when he mimics the earnest pleading of his daughters or adopts a tone of quizzical bemusement.
The attractive quality of Topol's character arises out of the stoic philosophy that is revealed in his conversations with God.
As Tevye struggles to find meaning in the daily misfortunes that plague his family, his prayers are often sarcastic and accusatory but he always finds his way back to the humble gratitude that allows him to joyfully embrace whatever blessings come his way.
It would be misleading to suggest that this is a one-man show. The visually stunning production features beautifully painted backdrops that draw inspiration from Russian folk art and the explosive lyricism of Marc Chagall.
Performances by the supporting cast are uniformly excellent, and the dance routines thrillingly recreate the electrifying choreography Jerome Robbins devised for the legendary Broadway production of 1964.
