Traditions are coming to life again on the stage of the Broadway Theater eight times a week. In December, the sixth revival of Fiddler on the Roof, the timeless musical by Joseph Stein, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, opened on Broadway. On Mar. 18, the show’s cast album was released. It marks the third time an American cast has recorded an album for their production, not including the soundtrack of the 1971 film.
Fiddler tells the story of Tevye, a poor milkman living in Anatevka, a shtetl in 1905 Russia, and his five daughters. The three eldest daughters, Tzeitel, Hodel and Chava, challenge Tevye’s beliefs of the traditions he’s held on to for so long. This, paired with a mandated eviction of Anatevka, turns Tevye’s world upside down.
The cast of the revival has been highly praised for their portrayals of the characters. Danny Burstein stars in the lead role as Tevye, and Jessica Hecht as Golde, Tevye’s wife. The daughters Tzeitel, Hodel and Chava are played by Alexandra Silber, Samantha Massell and Melanie Moore, respectively. The tailor Motel Kamzoil, Tzeitel’s childhood friend and eventual lover, is Adam Kantor. Perchik, a Bolshevik revolutionary, is played by Ben Rappaport. Nick Rehberger plays Fyedka, the Christian intellectual that falls for Chava. Lazar Wolf and his dead wife Fruma-Sarah are played by Adam Dannheiser and Jessica Vosk, and Yente, the matchmaker, is played by Alix Korey.
The cast recording does a great job of capturing the spirit of the show. The chemistry of the entire cast is so evident and the recordings, despite not being visual sound acted. It’s clear the cast put 110% into this recording. “Matchmaker” particularly sounds so sisterly because of the real life bond between Silber, Massell and Moore. The other notable songs “Tradition” and “To Life” are both so energetic. Burstein’s “If I Were A Rich Man” is a highlight of the album.
This production of Fiddler is top-notch, and definitely worth seeing. If getting yourself to New York isn’t a possibility, this cast album is definitely a worthwhile alternative.
