LA Review: 'Fiddler on the Roof'

This 1964 Broadway classic—adapted by book writer Joseph Stein, composer Jerry Bock, and lyricist Sheldon Harnick from the folk tales of Sholom Aleichem under the guidance of director-choreographer Jerome Robbins—remains a prime example of how musicals with universally relevant themes can elicit timeless appeal. The show's deeply affecting view of familial devotion, cultural pride, and resiliency in the face of shameful oppression—all graced with undercurrents of mythical beauty—lend the piece an operatic eloquence. Director Martin Lang's generally serviceable revival misses being a stirring theatrical experience but thankfully boasts a captivating and heartfelt performance by Richard Malmos as the loving but somewhat cantankerous Tevye the milkman.

This in-the-round presentation goes for intimacy and nuances of character, and the minimalist approach proves surprisingly effective. The use of furniture pieces and props to establish shifting locales is efficiently handled. The dazzlingly staged nightmare sequence surmounts the theater's imitations with riotously funny bits of slapstick business. The costumes by Angela Wood and Glendale Costumes convincingly conjure the milieu—a peasant village in 1905 czarist Russia—adding some needed visual variety. Steven Applegate's solid musical direction and a versatile cast of singer-actors serve the vintage score well. Orlando Alexander's choreography is better in the simpler moments than in the demanding group numbers, such as the extended "To Life" sequence.

The charming Malmos finds the ideal balance between larger-than-life bravado and vulnerability. He doesn't overplay Tevye's temper tantrums, which makes the character's few moments of genuinely losing his cool more amusing. Lisa Dyson, as Tevye's spunky wife, Golde, is fairly subdued yet credible and amusing. Mario Digregorio, as Lazar Wolf, would benefit from ramping up the jilted butcher's anger. The actors playing Tevye's marriage-age daughters (Nicole Ligerman, Heather Dudenbostel, and Daron O'Donnell) sing sweetly and earn our empathy.

Presented by and at Glendale Centre Theatre, 324 N. Orange St., Glendale. Feb. 9–March 24. Thu. and Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat. 3 and 8 p.m. (Additional performances Sun., Feb. 19 and 26, 3 p.m.) (818) 244-8481 or www.glendalecentretheatre.com.