‘Fiddler on the Roof’ brings down the house in Palatine

Based on Sholem Aleichem’s stories of Tevye the milkman, and on Aleichem’s actual upbringing near Kyiv (in today’s Ukraine), “Fiddler on the Roof” was poised to open on the Broadway stage in 1964, but investors and some of the media worried that the musical might be considered “too Jewish” to attract mainstream audiences. Thank heavens, nobody listened.

With book by Joseph Stein, music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and an original production directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins with a little help later from Hal Prince and Bob Fosse, “Fiddler on the Roof” went on to win nine Tony awards, including best musical in 1965, and was the first musical to surpass 3,000 performances. It continued to be the longest-running Broadway musical for about a decade until “Grease” surpassed it.

Now, Music On Stage, a Palatine community theater begun in 1957, offers a stellar production of “Fiddler on the Roof.” Superbly directed and choreographed by Jocelyn Adamski, with flawless musical direction by Marty Karlin, plus a 10-piece live orchestra, the cast of 30 brings to vibrant life the village of Anatevka in imperial Russia.

The story is well-known. Tevye the milkman attempts to maintain his religious and cultural traditions while coping with the actions of his strong-willed older daughters, who wish to marry for love, not by arrangement. Their choices of husbands are not always to the liking of Tevye, who encourages being friends from a distance. “A bird may love a fish, but where will they build a home?”

There are many details that make this successful production attractive to audiences, but there are five additional outstanding coordinators responsible for setting the correct mood:

Barry Norton’s scenic design is clean, utilitarian and creative;

Mark Burrows’ costume designs are era-appropriate and visually complementary, with faded colored hats, prayer shawls, vests and skirts;

Amanda Gouskos’ lighting design employs attractive hues that go from bold to subdued throughout the production;

Max Thalhammer’s sound design insures you hear every note and spoken word consistently;

And stage manager Luis Hernandez keeps it all flowing.

“Fiddler on the Roof” is rich with songs we know and love, ranging from hauntingly poignant to buoyant. The opening number “Tradition” grabs you from the very beginning and won’t let you go as it introduces characters and situations.

Other highlights include “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Matchmaker,” “To Life,” “Sunrise, Sunset” and “Sabbath Prayer.” By the way, if you’re expecting the traditional line of dancers for the bottle dance in the wedding scene, it’s only three expert and amazing dancers in this production who balance and complete the extraordinary moves.

As for casting of leads, Adamski has done exceedingly well.

In his Music On Stage debut, Brian Rabinowitz makes Tevye fully dimensional. He is a strong, articulate and emotive actor who maintains a natural chemistry with the other characters in the cast. Touchingly, Rabinowitz dedicates his performance to his “two Bens”: his grandfather, who grew up in a Russian village before making his way to America to start a new life alone at age 13, and his father, who shared with him his “Fiddler” album.

Kim Buck is Golde, Tevye’s sharp-tongued wife. Buck’s acting conveys Golde’s love and dedication to her daughters and Tevye. The performers portraying the three older daughters bring a sensitivity and understanding of their characters: Fae Logan (Tzeitel, the oldest daughter, in love with Motel the tailor), Isabel Arianna (Hodel, the spirited and intelligent one, who falls in love with Perchik and joins him in Siberia) and Abby Naden (Chava, who is in love with Fyeda). And boy, can those three actresses sing!

The three suitors are portrayed by James Kieliszewski as Motel, the poor but hardworking tailor; Sam Nachison, who is a remarkable Perchik, the student revolutionary who is arrested and sent to Siberia; and Corey James as Fyedka, who has a passion for reading and is upset with the Russian treatment of the Jewish population. All three are appealing actors.

Three additional ensemble members deserve recognition: Rhonda Cohn beautifully portrays the whimsical, gossipy village matchmaker Yente; Frank Dello is the wealthy village butcher Lazar Wolf, who wants to marry Tzeitel and evokes great sympathy; and Don Orlando keeps the audience guessing as the local Russian constable who may or may not be a friend to Tevye.

Many themes continue to be subtly inherent: love of family, women’s rights, traditions, generational conflict and change. With this production, there is humor, hope, humanity and a communal bond between the actors and the audience. Music On Stage’s “Fiddler” is going to be a sellout and rightfully so.

(A packed opening night launched the show, which runs two hours and 45 minutes with a 15-minute intermission.)

• Regina Belt-Daniels began her “adult” theater career as Yente in a high school production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” and went on to play Tzeitel in others. This is one of her favorite musicals. Continuing her 11th year of writing reviews for Shaw Local News Network, she can be found onstage, backstage or in the audience in a theater somewhere.

IF YOU GO

• WHAT: “Fiddler on the Roof”

• WHERE: Cutting Hall Performing Arts Center, 150 E. Wood St., Palatine

• WHEN: Saturdays and Sundays through Feb. 23

• INFORMATION: 847-202-5222, musiconstage.org