WMOS

Director - Tony Ayres
Musical Director - Derek Beck

Choreography - Louise Hodson

 

By Joseph Stein (book), Jerry Bock (music), Sheldon Harnick (lyrics)

 

Cast

 

Tevye - Peter Barber

Golde - Liz Petley-Jones

Tzeitel - Helen O'Sullivan

Hodel - Stephanie Rosewarne

Chava - Lucy Whiteman

Yente - Lizzie Gilbert

Motel - Simon Meanwell-Ralph

Perchik - Adrian Hickford

Lazar Wolf - Graham Light

Fruma-Sarah - Anne McDonald

Rabbi - Bob Jones

Grandma Tzeitel - Jacqui Beckingham

Mordcha - Hamish McDonald

Mendel - Alan Matheson

Avram - Stephen Gleed

Shprintze - Victoria Gleed

Bielke - Emily Wilson

Shandel - Deborah Cleary

1st Woman - Lorraine Morgan

2nd Woman - Charlotte Da-Silva-Skinner

Constable - David Anderson

Fyedka - Dave Rowe

Sacha - Anthony Reid

Nahum - Colin Crimp

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Chorus

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The Fiddler - Natalie Rickard

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Villagers and Russian soldiers - 

Sue Aiken, Gill Beck, Emma Boniface, Pam Farren, Jan Gwynne-Howell, Louise Hodson, Grace Honeysett, Ed Jones, Pam Jones, James Larcombe, Martin Larcombe,  Nicky Moore, Alan Morgan, Noeline Ormerod, Lois Price, Heather Reid, Gill Russell, Claire Smith, Vernon Tottle, Mary Twomey, Michael Watson  

REVIEWS

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Hampshire Chronicle

 

Directed by Tony Ayres with musical direction by Derek Beck, The Winchester Operatic Society did Fiddler on the Roof proud.  On hearing the first notes of the theme played by the Fiddler beautifully rendered by an elfin Natalie Rickard I knew I was in for a treat.

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Tradition sung by an enthusiastic chorus of Jewish villagers showed how tradition held the community together, enabling them to look inwards and ignore the pogroms happening in Russia.  However, change came, whether they liked it or not.

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Tevye, the milkman, was magnificently realised by Peter Barber.  His rendition of If I Were a Rich Man was full of comedy and intensity.

The depth of his relationship with his wife Golde played by Liz Petley-Jones came to the fore during the duet Do You Love Me, their voices blending together as they each realised indeed they did.

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The five daughters played by Helen O’Sullivan, Stephanie Rosewarne, Lucy Whiteman, Victoria Gleed and Emily Wilson were delightful, bringing out the individual personality of each character. 

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The girls, prompted by Adrian Hickford as Perchik, break tradition through their unconventional approach to finding husbands.  Their performance of Matchmaker, Matchmaker turning down the services of busybody matchmaker Yente played by Lizzie Gilbert was charming.

There was an excellent supporting cast an including David Rowe as Fyedka, Graham Light as Lazar Wolf, Simon Meanwell-Ralph as Motel and a scary Anne McDonald as the ghost of Lazar’s wife. 

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The orchestra added a zesty touch of sweet melancholy especially during the final song Anatevka.   Louise Hodson’s choreography manoeuvred sometimes large groups of people around the limited space with apparent ease. 

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The stark simplicity of the set designed by Sue Aiken and Rebecca Gregory’s evocative lighting completed the experience.

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Southern Echo Review 

 

Peter Barber excelled in the role of Teyve with his mesmerizing characterization. He was beautifully complemented by his wife, Golde (Liz Petley-Jones) and honoured by his daughters – Tzeitel (Helen O’Sullivan), Hodel (Stephanie Rosewarne), Chava (Lucy Whiteman), Shprintze (Victoria Gleed) and Bielke (Emily Wilson). The principals' singing was strong but the chorus vocals were indistinct at times and their energy appeared to flag in some scenes, which altered the mood.

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The set (Sue Aiken) was ingenious and versatile and was managed well but the scene changes needed to be incorporated to prevent a hiatus in the flow of the show. The lighting (Rebecca Gregory) was also well thought out and enhanced the mood without being intrusive. The show was over-long but thankfully the overall quality meant this wasn’t a big issue.

 

Rebecca Case

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