Review: Play House production of 'Fiddler on the Roof' strums original notes

Ironically, one of the most original musical moments in the Cleveland Play House production of "Fiddler on the Roof" is not "Sunrise, Sunset," "To Life" or "If I Were a Rich Man," but a secondary second-act song "Now I Have Everything." Cut from the film version, the song expresses the newfound love of a Jewish political activist for the daughter of a dairyman in a Jewish enclave (shtetl) in a small Russian village facing ominous antisemitic consternation. The Broadway-esque composition by Jerry Bock, with lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, was originally orchestrated to a march beat, mixing bombastic romance with undertones of a political anthem. But in the Play House production, directed lovingly and passionately by Michael Barakiva (also Playhouse artistic director), the once rather ordinary song reemerges as an anachronistic bluesy ballad -- think Frank Sinatra or Marvin Gaye -- made all that more ironic as it was sung, rather well, by black actor Avery Lamar Pope. For a musical about holding on to tradition -- written by Joseph Stein, inspired by tales of author Sholem Aleichem -- well, you can't hold onto everything. That includes incorporating an onstage audience interacting occasionally with the cast and one of the Dairyman's other five daughters (a spritely Addie Wisniewski) in a modern wheelchair. Still, the Play House production holds onto the tradition of quality, with choreographer Stas Kmiec assiduously tailoring the original 1964 choreography of Jerome Robbins (son of a Clevelander), lush musical direction by Diane Louie and intelligently simplified scenic design by Raul Abrego, unfortunately less inspired by the Jewish artist Marc Chagall, as in the original production, but still evocative in its own way. The cast was solidly stellar, unsurprisingly topped by Robert Cuccioli as a powerfully emotional singing and dancing dairyman Tevye. Like the central character does with his horseless dairy cart, Cuccioli carries the show with humility and bravura. The only odd one in the bunch is the titular fiddler himself, or herself, the metaphorical musician perched on top of a roof, who is, as Tevye Laments, "... Trying to scratch out a simple tune without breaking his neck." Not that Sasha Geisser (who doubles as the emotionally resplendent daughter Chava) was anything less than an accomplished pantomimist. But for some reason, otherwise able costumer Suwatana "Pla" Rockland dresses Geisser in what appears to be a fiddle bodice, whereupon the Fiddler commences to strum herself. Perhaps this was an inspiration from one of Chagall's many paintings depicting fiddlers swept amid the whirl of Jewish village landscapes, particularly such works as "The Cello Player" or "Le Vioncelliste." But one tradition that should still stick with any theatrical performance is that the last thing a visual metaphor needs is another visual metaphor on top of it. Still, even a compound metaphor can be forgiven in a Broadway musical of such compound talent and creativity, the most important tradition of any production of "Fiddler on the Roof." Contact Howard Gollop at howieeg@gmail.com.