Forget the sequins and the dazzling costumes and, please, leave your tap shoes at the door.
Away from the glitzy stereotype of the glamorous theatrical world, Fiddler on the Roof was probably the very first musical ever to defy Broadway’s established rules of commercial success.
Instead of a flighty love story enacted in a sea of feather boas and bright lights, Fiddler sneaked onto the scene eager to deal with serious issues such as poverty and persecution. And it succeeded.
And far from falling flat (as early critics predicted it would), Joseph Stein’s book and Jerry Bock’s music quickly found favour with audiences at New York’s Imperial Theatre in 1964.
In fact, it went on to become the first musical in history to run for more than 3,000 shows and it remains Broadway’s 16th longest running show in history. Even now it continues to delight internationally, both thanks to the box office-busting film version and the current revival tour doing the rounds across the UK.
“Fiddler is probably one of the few musicals to really tick all the boxes,” says co-producer Edward Mercieca of FM Theatre Productions, who is also taking on the lead role of Tevye.
“It has a very strong storyline, a wonderful score and it deals with issues that are truly timeless – such as family values, the displacement of people and racism. Apart from being ageless from a show perspective, these issues are also so relevant to Malta in 2014, what with the county’s refugee problems and racism raising its ugly head. Meanwhile, family values and traditions are being questioned and reinforced simultaneously, so it’s all very pertinent.”
Set in 1905, the musical takes place in Anatevka, a little Jewish village in Russia. It tells the story of dairyman Tevye and his attempts to maintain his family’s long-lived traditions, despite the fact that the world is changing around him.
When his eldest daughter, Tzeitel, begs him to let her marry a poor local tailor rather than the middle-aged butcher that he has already chosen for her, Tevye has to choose between his own daughter’s happiness and those beloved traditions that keep the outside world at bay.
Songs, including If I Were A Rich Man and Tradition, will ensure our audiences hum their tunes long after they leave the theatre
“Of course this is just the start of the story,” continues Mercieca. “The drama unfolds at a fast rate, while there are also some wonderfully light moments too. It’s the sort of show that promises something for everyone. Plus, it includes musical favourites such as To Life!, Tradition and If I Were a Rich Man, which will ensure our audiences will be humming the tunes long after they leave the theatre.”
The show is being directed by Chris Gatt, while the cast includes Pia Zammit, Julie James, Mikhail Basmadjian. Maxine Aquilina, who previously trained in the UK, is thrilled to have taken on the role of Tzietel.
“As the eldest, she is the most aware of the repercussions of the matchmaker finding her a husband,” she explains, adding that she also believes this musical is still very relevant to today’s audiences.
“Unlike her two sisters, who both believe they will be paired off with the man of their dreams, Tzietel has her feet firmly on the ground,” Aquilina continues. “She is in love with Motel, a friend she has known since childhood, and is desperate for a happy, simple life. She goes through a whole range of emotions throughout the piece, so the process has provided a fantastic learning curve for me.”
Also joining the production as the iconic fiddler is Canadian Reggie Clews, who has previously played the role in both Canada and California. Clews is actually a fourth generation musician whose mother is a pianist and instructor, and whose grandfather and great-grandfather were conductors of Maltese bands. Having travelled all over the world for his career, he recently returned to Malta to be the first violinist of the Caravaggio String Quartet and a member of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.
“When a friend of mine told me about the local production of Fiddler I jumped at the chance to be part of it, not least because as I had heard so many good things about the company behind it. Since joining, the team has been everything I had hoped for and so much more, especially as I am enjoying returning to a role that I loved playing previously.”
Fiddler on the Roof will be staged at the Manoel Theatre, Valletta, today at 3pm and 8pm and Friday, Saturday and next Sunday at 8pm.