Review: 'Fiddler on the Roof' at Amity High School

"With all due respect to Lin Manuel Miranda's masterpiece 'Hamilton' (which I adore) I still think 'Fiddler' is the most perfect musical." - Robert Kennedy, Director

Woodbridge, CT - Everything about the Amity Creative Theater Program is big. Students come from the towns of Orange, Bethany and Woodbridge. Online ticket purchases speed up the welcome process and the huge number of parent volunteers are everywhere. The lobby area of the John J. Brady Center for the Performing Arts at this regional high school always features several tables for concessions and the like, as well as a large display of photos of the student actors wearing their costumes, complete with fabric swatches. When patrons are handed the thick 8 ½ by 11 inch program, this year’s the largest ever, they enter the large and comfortable sold out auditorium where the set reaches outside the large stage. This year director Robert Kennedy decided to launch a big production of what he calls “the best musical of all time...as close to a perfect show a director could ask for.”

The director reminds us in this note that ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ examines “all of life, including persecution, poverty, and the struggle to maintain one’s beliefs in the midst of a hostile and chaotic environment.” This classic musical with a book by Joseph Stein, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and music by Jerry Bock is at its core about the dissolution of a way of life, and despite the fact that it is set in a fictional village in the Ukraine in 1905, there are certainly contemporary parallels not lost on Mr. Kennedy. For this reason, he chose it to be the tenth musical he has done with the students at Amity High School.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE REVIEW ON ONSTAGE

The costumes made especially for this production were designed by Julie Chevan and Brenda Burt. Each one fit perfectly and evoked the era and the location convincingly. Mrs. Kennedy was also in charge of the hair, wig and makeup design and there were lots of full beards required for these young men.

Rabbi Michael Farbman is credited as the production advisor and was undoubtedly consulted for the Hebrew labels on every concession table. Kudos to the directing team on another wonderful sold out Amity production that sets the bar very high.

I am sorry that I could not find a photo of the cast anywhere so that I could share the fabulous costumes with my review.