Outstanding performances in Leamington musical

LEAMINGTON and Warwick Musical Society celebrated its 90th anniversary with a spectacular production of Fiddler on the Roof.

From the opening scene where fiddler Nicky Jubb sat statue-like on the roof, only bursting into life when the stage lights went up, to the final harrowing scene where the villagers trudged away from their homes after eviction, the cast took us on a rollercoaster ride of emotions.

Steve Smith commanded the stage as Tevy, giving a superb rendition of If I Were A Rich Man. He portrayed the character superbly well and his asides to God were both comic and tragic in equal measures. He was ably supported by Kathy Evans, who oozed Yiddish charm and wit as his long-suffering wife Golde, plus Rohanna MacGregor as his daughter Tzeitel.

Graham Shurvinton showed off his consummate acting skills as the jilted Lazar Wolf, and the tavern scene where he and Tevye gradually got drunk before our eyes was amazing.

Other outstanding performances were given by Elizabeth Brooks as Yente (who reminded me, somewhat, of the late, great Hattie Jacques), Simon Lucas as Motel the tailor, Sam Henshaw as Perchik and Mike Grimes as the Rabbi. Nikki Shurvinton’s choreography was brilliant and the scene in the tavern where the cossacks join the villagers in a riot of song and dance was one of the best examples of organised chaos I’ve ever seen.

Another spectacular scene was where Tevye and Golde have a dream in which Lazar’s dead wife appears to them. Dancers floated around the stage as the ghost rose above them shouting and screaming in an ethereal vision of sheer terror.

But the scene of the night for me was the Sabbath Prayer when, as the lights dimmed, the whole cast came on with lighted candles and filled the stage. All in all this was a great performance, a real testament to Judi Walton’s directing skills, Gary Lewis’s musical direction was fabulous, and although I didn’t leave the theatre in as upbeat a mood as I would have done after most other musicals (this tale of Jewish oppression will never do that) I still enjoyed the show immensely.

Morris Troughton-Hume