FMS-Blog : The Wildly Whimsical, Mostly Musical WebLog
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Fiddler on the Roof
Well, whilst most people across the country sat poised at their television sets or with the lads down the pub watching England's progress in the World Cup, I spend this evening at the theatre watching the classic musical Fiddler on the Roof.
And, to be honest, I don't think I altogether got the raw end of the deal. You see, I know this show well : back in 1998 I spent a week performing it at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with an amateur group from the Bradford based theatre school, Stage 84. I played piano for all the rehearsals leading up to the outing in Edinburgh and in the band throughout that week and the following week's run at Bingley Art Centre, just a few miles up the road from Bradford.
So, it was funny getting reacquainted with a show that I got to know back-to-front just 8 years ago and have barely heard at all since (perhaps apart from a memorable rendition of If I Were a Rich Man by one of my uni friends after a few too many beers!!) And this production by LIDOS wasn't bad at all - there were some really good performances, not least by the lead who played Tevye, a father of 5 girls whose struggle between modernity and the comfort of his traditional heritage is centre stage throughout the play. If I'm honest, the orchestral accompaniment was often understated, though, and this led to the rhythmic drive of some of the faster numbers falling apart. But, it's only a slight criticism for an amateur production that I found really very entertaining - I'd forgotten many of the very witty lines written into the script aswell!
Altogether a great evening at a wonderful little venue hidden away behind Leeds' Centenary Square.
Haim Topol playing Tevye in the 1971 film version of Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is showing for another two nights, until Saturday 15th June at The Carriageworks Theatre in Leeds City Centre.
And, to be honest, I don't think I altogether got the raw end of the deal. You see, I know this show well : back in 1998 I spent a week performing it at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with an amateur group from the Bradford based theatre school, Stage 84. I played piano for all the rehearsals leading up to the outing in Edinburgh and in the band throughout that week and the following week's run at Bingley Art Centre, just a few miles up the road from Bradford.
So, it was funny getting reacquainted with a show that I got to know back-to-front just 8 years ago and have barely heard at all since (perhaps apart from a memorable rendition of If I Were a Rich Man by one of my uni friends after a few too many beers!!) And this production by LIDOS wasn't bad at all - there were some really good performances, not least by the lead who played Tevye, a father of 5 girls whose struggle between modernity and the comfort of his traditional heritage is centre stage throughout the play. If I'm honest, the orchestral accompaniment was often understated, though, and this led to the rhythmic drive of some of the faster numbers falling apart. But, it's only a slight criticism for an amateur production that I found really very entertaining - I'd forgotten many of the very witty lines written into the script aswell!
Altogether a great evening at a wonderful little venue hidden away behind Leeds' Centenary Square.
Haim Topol playing Tevye in the 1971 film version of Fiddler on the RoofFiddler on the Roof is showing for another two nights, until Saturday 15th June at The Carriageworks Theatre in Leeds City Centre.
