AIMS AWARDS AND ADJUDICATION SCHEME SULLIVAN SECTION PUBLIC REVIEW FOR – 9 Arch Claregalway Musical Society
The story of Tevye and the folk of the Jewish village of Anatevka still has a certain resonance today. Thrown off their lands in a pogrom by the Russian authorities, forced to move all around the world seeking a new home. It is a sad story but a story of humour and hope in adversity. It portrays a whole community and is a great vehicle for an amateur society as so many people of all ages can get involved. It gives us some of the most enduring and popular characters in musical theatre with a truly memorable score. 9 Arch Claregalway Musical Society gave us a most enjoyable evening with good story telling of this classic musical.
Director David Harkin produced a very sincere version of the story. He had obviously decided to slightly underplay some of the dialogue to achieve a very realistic feel. This for the most part worked well. There was good natural movement on stage during dialogue with very little masking. Some of the most dramatic moments in the show such as Hodel’s leaving at the railway station were sensitively handled. The gentle humour was quite well teased out of the script. The pace between principals was good but did go out of gear a few times due to settling in nerves. The Second Act had a much steadier pace overall. The characters were nicely developed and the relationships between players were clear. There was a good choice of actor for each pairing, all of which seemed well suited.
There is some glorious music in the show and experienced Musical Director Shane Farrell gave us a very charming and melodic accompaniment. There were some wonderful voices to train for this show with a strong principal line up. The chorus were all very comfortable with their parts too. The show needs a rousing opening number and that is what we got for ‘Tradition’. Some lovely ‘Yiddish’ moments which were hauntingly played by members of the eight-piece orchestra. A most memorable song was the beautiful ‘Little Bird’ which was given the lightest of touches.
Some of the choreography in the show was intricate, detailed and quite novel. Choreographer Jay Molyneux interpreted the opening number well with the story building as characters were introduced. Some good moments later in the show working with pairs and groups. ‘Matchmaker, Matchmaker’ was lively vocally and the three sisters moved well as they told of their marriage ambitions. ‘To Life’ was exciting and very energetic. The ‘Bottle Dance’ needed a little more.
Tevye is perhaps one of the most difficult of men’s roles in a musical. He is very much the linchpin of the show, we see the World through his eyes. It is a responsibility to play this role and one which shouldn’t be taken lightly. Alan gave us a very sincere and quite calm Tevye. This was a very naturalistic version of the role and we all felt very comfortable in his company. He managed to get good moments of humour from the script, some of the lines which I had heard many times being given new life. When he pushes his singing voice out to us, wow what a delicious rich tone he has! I would have loved a special place for him to talk to God maybe with a special light which would have highlighted those moments even further. There were some very moving moments with the three daughters and their spouses. His own relationship with Golde was realistically played. Golde was performed with great inner strength by Roisin Egerton-Lawless. She built up a good relationship with Tevye and related well to the daughters who she desperately tried to keep in order. There were some good moments of beautiful singing such as a delightful ’Sunrise, Sunset’ and ‘Sabbath Prayer’ and great comic timing, especially in the ‘Tevye’s Dream’ sequence. ‘Do I Love You’ was thoughtfully portrayed.
Eldest daughter Tzeitel was performed by Anne O’Donnell. She acted the interplay scenes with Motel very well. There was great humour from her moments when she was trying to get Motel to talk to her father about their plans. She gave a heart-breaking moment when she told Tevye she couldn’t marry Lazar Wolfe. She and Motel, played by Kevin Murphy gave us a good rendition of ‘Miracle of Miracles’. Kevin was a super foil for her. He delivered a committed performance with lovely moments of dignity, anger and joy. The pride on his face as he uncovered that sewing machine was wonderful and when he stood up to his father in law, we all nearly cheered aloud.
Hodel was beautifully played by Megan Lohan. She always related to us in the audience and we could always see what she was feeling and thinking. The little scene on the railway platform was sensitively played and the song delightfully sung. Her love interest, Perchik was performed by Niall Caulfield. The young revolutionary was given a real sense of purpose in this performance. His acting was strong and his relationship with the family convincing. His growing love was well portrayed and his clumsy proposal nicely played.
The ‘Little Bird’, Chava was played by Emily Macken. Her family were sitting in front of me in the theatre and were understandably proud. She played the most difficult of marriage partnerships so well, we watched as she is taken from her faith by the love of a good man. There was a lovely innocence in this performance. An elegant dance routine during the song was executed well. Fyedka was played with a sincerity by Keith Hanley who looked just right in the role. Good interplay with Chava in the courtship and a moving final scene.
The other youngest daughters were brought to life so well by Katie Larkin as Shprintze and Aoife Warner as Bielke. Well done girls.
Lazar Wolfe the butcher who was originally intended to marry Tzeitel was played by Jay Hall. Jay has the deepest of speaking voices and a wonderful rich singing tone. He acted the jilted lover very well and showed great dignity in his little farewell scene with Tevye at the end of the show. Marsha Maly gave us a very animated and conniving Yente, The Matchmaker. This was a totally committed and endearing performance. Acting well beyond her years, Marsha was very convincing in the role and brought much fun to the scenes in which she appeared.
Grandmother Tzeitel was brought back to life with a powerful performance of the role by Annette Cavanagh. Her vocal tone was just right for the part and the character was hauntingly styled.
Lazar Wolfe’s first wife Fruma Sarah was hypnotically played by Sonja Stephens. That wonderful red dress and those sweeping arm ovements combined with a strong delivery of a very difficult song, worked so well to create the moment.
Feargal Cavanagh made a believable Rabbi. He evoked the feel of the piece in his movements and delivery of his wise words and blessings.
There were a whole host of other cameo players who contributed much to the overall look and feel of the show. The chorus were also an integral part of the production and captured the essence of the piece.
The set was very sharp looking with the impression of the wooden buildings of the village. To this, smaller items such as tables, chairs, benches etc were added to create scenes such as the wedding. These all worked well. I have suggested that the stage team could dress in costume and actually be integrated into the production so there wouldn’t be a small gap between scenes. Well done to all concerned for an authentic looking village which was nicely dressed with appropriate properties such as a super Singer sewing machine.
The cyc was nicely flooded with various colours during the performance which created changing atmospheres. Overall the lighting was effective, though a ‘God Spot’ as I always called it, which gives that reverence when Tevye talks to God was missed. The scene at the station was particularly well lit.
The sound balance was good throughout. There were quite a number of body microphones used which were cued with accuracy.
Costumes on the whole were good, creating the feel of the era and the religious aspect of the show, but there were a few wee attention to detail issues which would need resolved in future productions to fully capture the look. The make up was generally as it should be, very lightly applied. In most cases the cast restyled their own hair though there a few well-groomed wigs such as Grandmother Tzeitel’s which looked great.
As always there is a warm welcome in the foyer of The Town Hall Theatre. After the show this is quite a meeting place too. There was great excitement from the supportive audience who were all carried away with the story told of Tevye, his family and of course the ‘Fiddler On The Roof’.
The story of Tevye and the folk of the Jewish village of Anatevka still has a certain resonance today. Thrown off their lands in a pogrom by the Russian authorities, forced to move all around the world seeking a new home. It is a sad story but a story of humour and hope in adversity. It portrays a whole community and is a great vehicle for an amateur society as so many people of all ages can get involved. It gives us some of the most enduring and popular characters in musical theatre with a truly memorable score. 9 Arch Claregalway Musical Society gave us a most enjoyable evening with good story telling of this classic musical.
Director David Harkin produced a very sincere version of the story. He had obviously decided to slightly underplay some of the dialogue to achieve a very realistic feel. This for the most part worked well. There was good natural movement on stage during dialogue with very little masking. Some of the most dramatic moments in the show such as Hodel’s leaving at the railway station were sensitively handled. The gentle humour was quite well teased out of the script. The pace between principals was good but did go out of gear a few times due to settling in nerves. The Second Act had a much steadier pace overall. The characters were nicely developed and the relationships between players were clear. There was a good choice of actor for each pairing, all of which seemed well suited.
There is some glorious music in the show and experienced Musical Director Shane Farrell gave us a very charming and melodic accompaniment. There were some wonderful voices to train for this show with a strong principal line up. The chorus were all very comfortable with their parts too. The show needs a rousing opening number and that is what we got for ‘Tradition’. Some lovely ‘Yiddish’ moments which were hauntingly played by members of the eight-piece orchestra. A most memorable song was the beautiful ‘Little Bird’ which was given the lightest of touches.
Some of the choreography in the show was intricate, detailed and quite novel. Choreographer Jay Molyneux interpreted the opening number well with the story building as characters were introduced. Some good moments later in the show working with pairs and groups. ‘Matchmaker, Matchmaker’ was lively vocally and the three sisters moved well as they told of their marriage ambitions. ‘To Life’ was exciting and very energetic. The ‘Bottle Dance’ needed a little more.
Tevye is perhaps one of the most difficult of men’s roles in a musical. He is very much the linchpin of the show, we see the World through his eyes. It is a responsibility to play this role and one which shouldn’t be taken lightly. Alan gave us a very sincere and quite calm Tevye. This was a very naturalistic version of the role and we all felt very comfortable in his company. He managed to get good moments of humour from the script, some of the lines which I had heard many times being given new life. When he pushes his singing voice out to us, wow what a delicious rich tone he has! I would have loved a special place for him to talk to God maybe with a special light which would have highlighted those moments even further. There were some very moving moments with the three daughters and their spouses. His own relationship with Golde was realistically played. Golde was performed with great inner strength by Roisin Egerton-Lawless. She built up a good relationship with Tevye and related well to the daughters who she desperately tried to keep in order. There were some good moments of beautiful singing such as a delightful ’Sunrise, Sunset’ and ‘Sabbath Prayer’ and great comic timing, especially in the ‘Tevye’s Dream’ sequence. ‘Do I Love You’ was thoughtfully portrayed.
Eldest daughter Tzeitel was performed by Anne O’Donnell. She acted the interplay scenes with Motel very well. There was great humour from her moments when she was trying to get Motel to talk to her father about their plans. She gave a heart-breaking moment when she told Tevye she couldn’t marry Lazar Wolfe. She and Motel, played by Kevin Murphy gave us a good rendition of ‘Miracle of Miracles’. Kevin was a super foil for her. He delivered a committed performance with lovely moments of dignity, anger and joy. The pride on his face as he uncovered that sewing machine was wonderful and when he stood up to his father in law, we all nearly cheered aloud.
Hodel was beautifully played by Megan Lohan. She always related to us in the audience and we could always see what she was feeling and thinking. The little scene on the railway platform was sensitively played and the song delightfully sung. Her love interest, Perchik was performed by Niall Caulfield. The young revolutionary was given a real sense of purpose in this performance. His acting was strong and his relationship with the family convincing. His growing love was well portrayed and his clumsy proposal nicely played.
The ‘Little Bird’, Chava was played by Emily Macken. Her family were sitting in front of me in the theatre and were understandably proud. She played the most difficult of marriage partnerships so well, we watched as she is taken from her faith by the love of a good man. There was a lovely innocence in this performance. An elegant dance routine during the song was executed well. Fyedka was played with a sincerity by Keith Hanley who looked just right in the role. Good interplay with Chava in the courtship and a moving final scene.
The other youngest daughters were brought to life so well by Katie Larkin as Shprintze and Aoife Warner as Bielke. Well done girls.
Lazar Wolfe the butcher who was originally intended to marry Tzeitel was played by Jay Hall. Jay has the deepest of speaking voices and a wonderful rich singing tone. He acted the jilted lover very well and showed great dignity in his little farewell scene with Tevye at the end of the show. Marsha Maly gave us a very animated and conniving Yente, The Matchmaker. This was a totally committed and endearing performance. Acting well beyond her years, Marsha was very convincing in the role and brought much fun to the scenes in which she appeared.
Grandmother Tzeitel was brought back to life with a powerful performance of the role by Annette Cavanagh. Her vocal tone was just right for the part and the character was hauntingly styled.
Lazar Wolfe’s first wife Fruma Sarah was hypnotically played by Sonja Stephens. That wonderful red dress and those sweeping arm ovements combined with a strong delivery of a very difficult song, worked so well to create the moment.
Feargal Cavanagh made a believable Rabbi. He evoked the feel of the piece in his movements and delivery of his wise words and blessings.
There were a whole host of other cameo players who contributed much to the overall look and feel of the show. The chorus were also an integral part of the production and captured the essence of the piece.
The set was very sharp looking with the impression of the wooden buildings of the village. To this, smaller items such as tables, chairs, benches etc were added to create scenes such as the wedding. These all worked well. I have suggested that the stage team could dress in costume and actually be integrated into the production so there wouldn’t be a small gap between scenes. Well done to all concerned for an authentic looking village which was nicely dressed with appropriate properties such as a super Singer sewing machine.
The cyc was nicely flooded with various colours during the performance which created changing atmospheres. Overall the lighting was effective, though a ‘God Spot’ as I always called it, which gives that reverence when Tevye talks to God was missed. The scene at the station was particularly well lit.
The sound balance was good throughout. There were quite a number of body microphones used which were cued with accuracy.
Costumes on the whole were good, creating the feel of the era and the religious aspect of the show, but there were a few wee attention to detail issues which would need resolved in future productions to fully capture the look. The make up was generally as it should be, very lightly applied. In most cases the cast restyled their own hair though there a few well-groomed wigs such as Grandmother Tzeitel’s which looked great.
As always there is a warm welcome in the foyer of The Town Hall Theatre. After the show this is quite a meeting place too. There was great excitement from the supportive audience who were all carried away with the story told of Tevye, his family and of course the ‘Fiddler On The Roof’.
