Snoop's Theatre Thoughts

Fiddler on the Roof
Music by Jerry Bock, Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, Book by Joseph Stein
Directed and Choreographed by Caleb D. Long
Original Broadway Choreography by Jerome Robbins
Fly North Theatricals
April 24, 2026

Ryan Cooper
Photo by Katie Orr
Fly North Theatricals

Fiddler on the Roof is a musical theatre classic–there’s no question about that. Still, it’s been performed so many times and by so many different companies, that it’s fairly easy to think about as “been there, seen that”. It takes a great cast and lots of creative energy to do justice to this show’s message and timeless characters and songs, as well as standing out a bit from all the other productions of the show a given audience member may have seen (I have seen at least 10, including the 1971 film). The cast size and production values can also be a challenge to smaller companies, although Fly North Theatricals has met that challenge with enthusiasm, style, and lots of heart with their latest production at Greenfinch Theater & Dive. 

I’ve seen “scaled down” productions of usually larger-cast shows in the past that have worked, including The Music Man and Something Rotten, and what those productions have taught me is that, when done well, scaling down can often highlight or emphasize themes and messages in the show that have always been there, but are brought into more crystalized focus through the staging and characterization. That is certainly the case with this production, which is led by Ryan Cooper in a fantastically likable and energetic performance as Tevye, the Jewish milkman who narrates the story while also being its main focus. Tevye, his wife Golde (Rachel Bailey), and his five daughters live in a small village in what is now Ukraine at the turn of the 20th Century, when tensions between Russian authorities and Jewish residents have been growing rapidly, along with a rise in political upheaval and resistance movements. While Tevye educates the audience about their cultural and religious traditions, there is also this increasing sense that those traditions are going to be challenged in various ways, first in the marriage choices of his three eldest daughters Tzeitel (Jade Cash), Hodel (Danielle Singleton), and Chava (Zoe Klevorn); and soon increasingly in other areas like pogroms that have been effecting other villages, but are threatening to spread to Anatevka as well. 

The plot and the script are the same as always. If you’ve seen this show before, you know how it’s going to play out, but what happens in this show is that it’s in a small space, with a smaller cast than usual, and with a few players playing multiple roles, so the intimacy and immediacy of the story is heightened in a noticeable way. This is also a production that has professional actors performing alongside students from FNT’s educational programs, and the mixture is effective for the most part. One notable effect of this casting is that the youth of the daughters and their suitors is especially obvious here. The younger daughters Bielke (Lacie Irby) and Shprintze (Annie Miller) blend in well with their older counterparts, and the older daughters’ challenging their parents’ insistent traditions becomes even more pronounced. There is a bit of awkwardness at times in the casting of the non-Jewish “Russians”, in that most of these roles aside from the Constable (Scott MacDonald) are only played by two actors, Kieran Thompson–who also plays Chava’s suitor, Fyedka–and Callum Thompson–who also plays Mendel, the Rabbi’s son. Although both actors are excellent–and Callum Thompson is especially adept at comedy–the doubling, tripling, and quadrupling of roles, especially with these roles, can occasionally seem awkward, as when you see the actor playing the sympathetic Fyedka also playing decidedly non-sympathetic roles. 

Still, for the most part, the casting is spot-on, with Cooper and the also excellent Bailey making an ideal Teyve and Golde, with their good-natured bickering and sweet duet on “You Love Me” as true highlights. There’s also a memorable turn by Lantsberger showing excellent comic timing as well as an impressive level of depth as Yente the Matchmaker, as well as a dominant turn as Fruma-Sarah in the “Tevye’s Dream” sequence, which also features the clever doubling of Cash–who plays daughter Tzeitel–also playing Grandma Tzeitel with verve and precise timing. The strongest vocals come from Cooper and also Singleton as Hodel, whose “Far From the Home I Love” is heartfelt and powerful. The three suitors, Motel (Milo Garlich), Perchik (Henry Schumacher), and the aforementioned Fyedka are well-matched with their romantic partners, and Klevorn’s Chava is especially strong in her plotline. Their are also memorable supporting performances from Ken Haller as butcher Lazar Wolf, Bradley Rohlf as the Rabbi and others, Colin Healy as Mordcha and others, Josh Baumgartner as Nachum and others, Maggie Nold as Motel’s mother Shaindel and others, and Fiona Brickey, who is a continuing presence and excellent musician as the titular Fiddler. 

The musicianship is a particular star of this production. It’s one of those “actor-as-musician” stagings, and most of the  performers play an instrument at least to some degree in the show. Most notably, in an audio and visual sense, are the aforementioned Brickey who is fantastic on violin, as well as music director Healy on piano, accordion and guitar; Baumgartner, whose hauntingly proficient clarinet is ubiquitous; and Rohlf on various percussion instruments. Cooper also plays percussion at key moments, and his drumming is especially powerful on some of his solo vocal numbers. There are also memorable turns from Bailey on guitar, MacDonald on keyboards, Lantsberger on percussion, Nold on flute, and Klevorn on piano, particularly in the “Chava Sequence” in Act 2, which adds an extra degree of poignancy to this scene. The blend of music, acting, and vocals is such a vital part of this production, bringing much power to the story and helping to emphasize the themes and Jewish musical traditions along with the story.

In addition to the performances, the production values are stunning, bringing truth to the phrase “less is more”. Greenfinch is a small space, so an elaborate set would be difficult, but what the creative team has accomplished here is a set that fits the space and also emphasizes the transitory nature of Jewish people throughout history, as is noted in the final scenes. The set, designed by director Caleb D. Long, along with Rohf and Healy, consists of several movable pieces as well as trunks and luggage, along with having the piano fit into the set as the bar at Mordcha’s tavern. There’s also fantastic work from scenic painter Katie Orr, as well as lighting designer Ryan Thorp and sound designer LP Guterman, who contribute much to the eye-catching and seemingly magical storytelling in “Tevye’s Dream”, the wedding scene, and much more. Long’s props design and Jen Blum-Tatara’s inventive costumes also contribute to the overall “traditional with a twist” vibe of the show. 

Overall, this is a Fiddler that’s clearly Fiddler, but with a few especially well thought-out staging elements that make it like nothing you may have seen before. It’s a pleasant surprise, with all the energy, humor, and poignancy that is to be expected from this show, but with a strong emphasis on the music, and an unmistakably obvious sense of heart. It’s an astonishingly well-realized production. 

Sarah Lantsberger, Rachel Bailey
Photo by Katie Orr
Fly North Theatricals

Fly North Theatricals is presenting Fiddler on the Roof at the Greenfinch Theater & Dive until May 3, 2026