Cleveland Play House’s ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ is… TRADITION!

Photos by: Roger Mastroianni

A little known fact about the musical “Fiddler on the Roof”. Since its premier on September 22, 1964 in the Imperial Theatre on Broadway it has been in continuous production somewhere around the world. The show was a critical and commercial success and was nominated for ten Tony Awards winning nine including Best Musical.

It has been deemed “one of the most glowing creations in the history of musical theater” and the catalog of songs are deeply ingrained with families all over the world whether they are Jewish or not. The Broadway musical set a record of 3,242 performances (which it held for ten years) and remains the 16th longest running show in Broadway history. It has had numerous Broadway revivals including 1976, 1981, 1990, 2004 and 2015 as well as a collection of tours. The play was made into a very popular movie in 1971 starring Chaim Topol.

The show features music by Jerry Bock with lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and book by Joseph Stein. It was based on a series of short stories written by Sholem Aleichem titled “Tevye the Dairyman” between 1894 to 1914. It is currently a Cleveland Play House production playing at the Allen Theatre at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, Ohio. The show is directed by Michael Barakiva.

Tevye (Robert Cuccioli) is a milkman who travels the small shtetle of Anatevka in 1904 Russia selling his wares of milk and cheese. A deeply religious man he spends much of his time talking directly to his God mostly complaining about his impoverished situation in life made more so with his family of five daughters and wife of 25 years, Golde (Joanna Glushak). He is also a man of deep conviction about traditions that go so far back in the town’s history that nobody can remember their origin or reason for being.

The country is a mere ten years away from World War I and the eventual downfall of the Tsarists regime. The Jewish citizens live a day to day existence as the government unleashes a series of pogroms forcing eventual immigration of Jews to foreign lands. With this upheaval comes change...change that Tevye and the town are not prepared to deal with. First to be challenged is the tradition of the female shadchanit or matchmaker. Yente (Kristine Zbornik) visits Golde with a proposal of a perfect match for the family’s oldest daughter. The butcher, Lazar Wolf (Geoffrey Short) although much older and widowed has shown an interest in Tzeitel (Maria Noel Fallough) the eldest daughter.

Golde sends Tevye to meet with Lazar not telling what the meeting is about. Tevye thinks Lazar wants to purchase his prized cow and a confusing dialogue ensues. Soon it becomes clear as to Lazar’s intent and Tevye agrees to the nuptials. The next day after sobering up Tevye reveals to Tzeitel Lazar’s intent. His daughter refuses proclaiming her love for Motel (Brendan Lowry), the town’s impoverished tailor. Wishing only to make his daughter happy he consents to her wishes. At the wedding, the Russian soldiers arrive and vandalize the reception as part of orders to persecute the Jewish population.

Seeing the break from tradition, the next two daughters choose their own spouses. Hodel (Bebe Moss), the second oldest falls in love with Perchik (Avery Lamar Pope) a college student teaching the daughters his personal politically enhanced views of sacred texts. Tevye agrees to their union as well. It is when Chava (Sasha Geisser) the third oldest daughter falls in love with Fyedka (Michael Glavan) a Russian soldier and non-Jew that Tevye puts his foot down hard. The couple are married by a priest and Tevye refuses to acknowledge the marriage saying that his daughter has died.

As for this production it is as good as it gets. In spite of the small Allen Theatre stage (made even smaller with the addition of six rows of audience seating on the stage) the 23 member cast manages to use every inch of space due to the brilliant staging and choreography of Staś Kmieć. The 22 piece orchestra under the direction of Diane Louie is splendid. The orchestra is generously sponsored by The Milton and Tamar Maltz Family Foundation bringing the unforgettable score to life.

Raul Abrego is in charge of the scenic design that is ingenious in its concept and execution. Costume designer Suwatana “Pla” Rockland outfits everyone in traditional garb that adds much to the story. Zach Blane designed the lighting that is sparkling and Lindsay Jones’ sound design is crisp and clean. One nice surprise is the puppet work during the song “The Dream”.

Robert Cuccioli shines as Tevye, bringing the character alive in all his glory. Joanna Glushak as his wife Golde is absolutely suited for the roll getting the biggest laughs of the evening. As for the three oldest daughters: Maria Noel Fallough as Tzeitel, Bebe Moss as Hodel and Sasha Geisser as Chava their superb singing voices elevate the show even higher. Lastly, there is Kristine Zbornik as Yente the matchmaker who is an absolute delight with her antics. The ensemble work is absolutely top notch with fantastic singing and dancing that is soul stirring. It should be noted that nineteen members of the cast and crew have ties to Cleveland and another four members are from the Baldwin Wallace University musical theater program.

Somehow this large company has been able to fit this colossal musical on a smaller than usual stage bringing all the excitement, drama, laughs, pathos and heart of the original. It is a truly great show that has the time flying by without nary a notice.

The Cleveland Play House production of “Fiddler on the Roof” will be on stage in the Allen Theatre at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, Ohio through May 25, 2025. For more information and to purchase tickets go to http://www.clevelandplayhouse.com or call (216) 400-7096.