Fiddler lives and dies by the bottle
Sunday News (Lancaster, PA)
Publication Date: November 25, 2007
By MaryAlice Bitts
There are no glitzy special effects, no otherworldly costumes and no breathtaking feats of scenic transformation in the tried-and-true 1964 musical "Fiddler on the Roof." Yet the show's very low-tech, high-energy bottle dance never fails to place audiences on the edge of their seats.
In that show-stopping scene, a line of dark-suited, dark-hatted men dance vigorously across the stage, while balancing glass bottles on their hats. Every once in a while, an actor drops a bottle, as if to prove to audiences that the bottles are not in some way affixed to the hats. And every time, the gasps are audible.
"To do 'Fiddler' without the bottle dance is like doing 'Annie' without a live dog," said Gary John LaRosa, who choreographs and directs the upcoming Fulton Opera House production of "Fiddler" (Nov. 29 to Dec. 30). "You might be able to get away with it, but audiences won't like it."
The Fulton will present an exact replication of master choreographer Jerome Robbins' now-iconic 1964 choreography, bottle dance included, which La Rosa reproduces with the help of Robbins' original notes, and his own long experience with the play, both as a Broadway cast member and a director/choreographer.
The traditional treatment is fitting for a musical so rooted in tradition.
"Fiddler" tells the story of a poor Jewish milkman, Tevye, living in an impoverished village in Russia on the eve of the Bolshevik Revolution. As he struggles to make ends meet for his large family, he also struggles to convince his daughters to adhere to the long-standing customs of his faith in a time of great unrest and social change.
Based on the rich storytelling of early 20th-century Jewish writer Sholom Aleichem, the script initially was a hard sell to cosmopolitan, mid-20th-century theater critics. But its universal family theme and infectious songs struck a definitive chord.
"Fiddler" went on to claim 10 Tony Awards. It has been revived on Broadway four times, and for 10 years it was the longest-running show in Broadway history (to be dethroned by the box-office behemoth "Grease"). Today, it is recognized as one of the best-loved musicals of all time, a fact that inspires scores of amateur actors and dancers in community and school theaters to put in extra practice hours just to learn how to balance those bottles.
"It's become a tradition," LaRosa said. "This is, quite simply, one of the best musicals of all time." And the show's dance sequences, he said, are an integral part of its continued success.
The original "Fiddler" choreography was the result of months of cultural research by Robbins, who created a unique blend of Broadway, jazz, ballet and folk dance to capture the earthy and spirited feel of traditional village life.
"There are actually some Russian dance steps that people would recognize, like crossing the stage in long lunges, while a squat position, which we call duck walking," LaRosa said. Traditional elements such as hand-holding, clapping and heel steps add to the show's Eastern European feel. "The blending of these elements together is what makes the choreography so appropriate and inspired."
To reflect the musical's overarching theme of interpersonal connectedness and cohesion, Robbins developed a nesting-circle dance motif, using the innermost circle to represent the family unit, with outer circles representing the village community, the Jewish community and the greater society.
"I just think that's a wonderful metaphor," said La Rosa, who has chosen to further reflect the circle motif in the show's set and costume design. "It's really good art."
LaRosa said we know about this concept today because Robbins, who recognized his own influence on American musical theater, took the unusual measure of dictating his work, step by exacting step, so that it could be published in a book for the reference of future choreographers.
LaRosa has access to those records, which he's used to choreograph the show. But they're a challenge to decipher.
"It's very unwieldy, and most choreographers have a difficult time figuring it out," he said. "But it serves as a great reference point, if you already know the choreography from years of experience."
Fortunately, he does. A cast member in both the 25th anniversary Broadway revival and the 30th anniversary touring production, LaRosa has met with all of the show's creators, including the late Robbins, and worked directly with Robbins' trusted stage manager, Ruth Mitchell.
LaRosa has cast fellow Broadway veterans in many of the production's lead roles, including Rachel Coloff, who played Yente the matchmaker opposite Alfred Molina and Harvey Fierstein in the 2006 revival; and David Masters, who was a cast member in the original 1964 production, as well as the 25th and 30th anniversary revivals.
It all makes for the truest interpretation possible, LaRosa said, and that is the point.
"My aim is to preserve the musical, but in a way that young people who have never seen the show before can discover it in all its original vibrancy," he said. "That's my responsibility as a veteran of the show, and it's thrilling to be able to pass down such a beautiful and moving work."
Publication Date: November 25, 2007
By MaryAlice Bitts
There are no glitzy special effects, no otherworldly costumes and no breathtaking feats of scenic transformation in the tried-and-true 1964 musical "Fiddler on the Roof." Yet the show's very low-tech, high-energy bottle dance never fails to place audiences on the edge of their seats.
In that show-stopping scene, a line of dark-suited, dark-hatted men dance vigorously across the stage, while balancing glass bottles on their hats. Every once in a while, an actor drops a bottle, as if to prove to audiences that the bottles are not in some way affixed to the hats. And every time, the gasps are audible.
"To do 'Fiddler' without the bottle dance is like doing 'Annie' without a live dog," said Gary John LaRosa, who choreographs and directs the upcoming Fulton Opera House production of "Fiddler" (Nov. 29 to Dec. 30). "You might be able to get away with it, but audiences won't like it."
The Fulton will present an exact replication of master choreographer Jerome Robbins' now-iconic 1964 choreography, bottle dance included, which La Rosa reproduces with the help of Robbins' original notes, and his own long experience with the play, both as a Broadway cast member and a director/choreographer.
The traditional treatment is fitting for a musical so rooted in tradition.
"Fiddler" tells the story of a poor Jewish milkman, Tevye, living in an impoverished village in Russia on the eve of the Bolshevik Revolution. As he struggles to make ends meet for his large family, he also struggles to convince his daughters to adhere to the long-standing customs of his faith in a time of great unrest and social change.
Based on the rich storytelling of early 20th-century Jewish writer Sholom Aleichem, the script initially was a hard sell to cosmopolitan, mid-20th-century theater critics. But its universal family theme and infectious songs struck a definitive chord.
"Fiddler" went on to claim 10 Tony Awards. It has been revived on Broadway four times, and for 10 years it was the longest-running show in Broadway history (to be dethroned by the box-office behemoth "Grease"). Today, it is recognized as one of the best-loved musicals of all time, a fact that inspires scores of amateur actors and dancers in community and school theaters to put in extra practice hours just to learn how to balance those bottles.
"It's become a tradition," LaRosa said. "This is, quite simply, one of the best musicals of all time." And the show's dance sequences, he said, are an integral part of its continued success.
The original "Fiddler" choreography was the result of months of cultural research by Robbins, who created a unique blend of Broadway, jazz, ballet and folk dance to capture the earthy and spirited feel of traditional village life.
"There are actually some Russian dance steps that people would recognize, like crossing the stage in long lunges, while a squat position, which we call duck walking," LaRosa said. Traditional elements such as hand-holding, clapping and heel steps add to the show's Eastern European feel. "The blending of these elements together is what makes the choreography so appropriate and inspired."
To reflect the musical's overarching theme of interpersonal connectedness and cohesion, Robbins developed a nesting-circle dance motif, using the innermost circle to represent the family unit, with outer circles representing the village community, the Jewish community and the greater society.
"I just think that's a wonderful metaphor," said La Rosa, who has chosen to further reflect the circle motif in the show's set and costume design. "It's really good art."
LaRosa said we know about this concept today because Robbins, who recognized his own influence on American musical theater, took the unusual measure of dictating his work, step by exacting step, so that it could be published in a book for the reference of future choreographers.
LaRosa has access to those records, which he's used to choreograph the show. But they're a challenge to decipher.
"It's very unwieldy, and most choreographers have a difficult time figuring it out," he said. "But it serves as a great reference point, if you already know the choreography from years of experience."
Fortunately, he does. A cast member in both the 25th anniversary Broadway revival and the 30th anniversary touring production, LaRosa has met with all of the show's creators, including the late Robbins, and worked directly with Robbins' trusted stage manager, Ruth Mitchell.
LaRosa has cast fellow Broadway veterans in many of the production's lead roles, including Rachel Coloff, who played Yente the matchmaker opposite Alfred Molina and Harvey Fierstein in the 2006 revival; and David Masters, who was a cast member in the original 1964 production, as well as the 25th and 30th anniversary revivals.
It all makes for the truest interpretation possible, LaRosa said, and that is the point.
"My aim is to preserve the musical, but in a way that young people who have never seen the show before can discover it in all its original vibrancy," he said. "That's my responsibility as a veteran of the show, and it's thrilling to be able to pass down such a beautiful and moving work."
Labels: bottle dance, dance, fiddler on the roof, jerome robbins, mary alice bitts, MaryAlice Bitts, musicals
posted by MaryAlice Bitts at 2:56 PM
