Tipperary Musical Society present a wonderful Fiddler on the Roof show

TMS chose Fiddler On The Roof for their 40th Anniversary Show and what a celebration it was for a memorable week in the Simon Ryan Excel Theatre.
Director Paul Norton had great feel for the piece as evinced by his many clever touches. The final scene of deracination, think Ukraine was particularly harrowing.It was gratifying to see how he involved every member of the cast of all ages throughout.
M.D. Mary Rose McNally got a great tune from a fine 12 piece, always supportive and never overpowered.
It was lyrical in the quieter moments and rumbunctious in the inn scene and wedding dances with nice Slavonic feel threading throughout.
The chorus was always involved and never not working. A strong statement of identity in Tradition, spooky respo ses in the Dream,garrulous in street crossovers.
There was a rapt spirituality in Sabbath Prayer and Sunrise,Sunset with fine harmonies.
A bit more vocal colouring would have elevated Anatevka perhaps.
Derek Ryan oozed with roguish charisma as Tevye with a burnished bass-baritone voice to die for.
His Rich Man was a coup de theatre in itself. He showed a paternal warmth with his daughters and well,caution with his wife Golde.
Overall a well judged, fully rounded histrionic portrait of this bucolic Philosopher of the Steppes.
It was a bonus to have in Deirdre Ryan a Golde with such natural acting charm and a lively ductile singing voice. Her Do You Love Me with Tevye was a wistful delight. Mind you,she was no shrinking violet and I don’t think she would ever die from such a man.
Sarah Gillman Gallahue was strong as Tzeitel whether acting out a crone-ish Yente (ironic this) in Matchmaker or making her heartfelt appeal to Papa. Looked radiant at her wedding.
Hodel(Emma Sunderland) showed fine archy spirit with Perchik until his new dance changed an old custom and left her nicely flustered.
She has a nice light touch and a clean musical voice which brought a lump to the throat with Far From The Home.
Muireann Slattery was an endearing Chava who shared her father’s love of books. Her final appeal to Tevye was gut-wrenching but on this occasion there was to be no other hand.She also excelled in her eponymous ballet.
Sprintze(Mai O’ Donoghue) and Bielke (Fai Sexton) were bright as buttons in their responses to Perchik’s jaundiced tutoring.
Siobhan O’ Donoghue was suitably gossipy and loquacious as Yente the Matchmaker.
A believable type this with a lot swimming away under the surface. Her chagrin at the love-match wedding was palpable. Definitely not one to suffer in silence.
James O’ Donovan was an understated Motel and all the better for it. His timorous appeal to Tevye for Tzeitel’s hand was hilarious and he was completely beside himself in the blissfully rendered Miracle of Miracles.
Aidan O’ Connell was believable as Perchik the restless doctrinaire Narodnik. He was strong on theoreticals with Hodel but softened when she accepted his proposal, (a political question?).
He took the awkward Now I Have Everything with some ease.
Cormac Maher as Fyedka had the necessary charm and earnestness to turn Chava’s head. An excellent dancer in addition.
Cathal O’Donoghue showed great stage nous as the butcher Lazar Wolf nicely uneasy with Tevye when asking for Tzeitel’s hand and rapturous when the deal was done.
His To Life with Tevye had oodles of boisterous bravura. His donation of chickens at the wedding could not mask his indignation that it was not his nuptials but should have been.
Jason Ryan proved a characterful Mordcha and kept good pace in the wedding.
Kiran Hickey maximised his role as the Rabbi. This knowing, roguish pillar of the community had the villagers hanging on his every utterance. The old maxim was never more applicable, no such thing as a small part.
Aaron O’ Donoghue was suitably reactionary as Mendel, the Rabbi’s son.
Did well in the Rumour.
As the bookseller, Avram,Conor Ryan delivered clearly the news from the outside world and brought the Rumour to it’s chaotic confusion with some conviction.
As grandma Tzeitel ,Caroline Brahan paid great attention to detail and projected with admirable clarity.
Miss Cleary as a suspended Fruma Sarah was a veritable harridan from Hades who spat out her curse with no little vitriol.
David Hughes displayed the necessary gravitas as the constable. He left us in no doubt he would comply with his orders whatever his personal feelings.
Eimhin O’ Meara impacted as the Russian tenor in the Inn.
Ned Lonergan spoke clearly as Nachum. I really liked Fiona O’ Connor as Shandel in her feisty defence of my boy motel.
Anna O’ Brien had a lovely, still watchfulness as the Fiddler.
A special mention for Stephanie Browne’s choreography.Tradition was a sheer joy. Later we got high-kicking Cossacks, galumphing boisterous Jews, spookily gyrating spectres in the Dream,taut bottle-dancers, just a pity to use plastic bottles fastened to hats, lively wedding revellers and a lovely Chavalet ballet.
The basic multi-functional set worked well overall though Motel’s House was a bit underwhelming.
Props were appropriate with a fine cart for Tevye with churns and a carpet bag for Yente just to mention a few.
Wedding could have benefited from a few more tables and more food to also make the destruction scene more catastrophic.
SM Alma Quinn and her stage crew will have appreciated the basic set and managed scene transitions like cinematic dissolves.
Lighting was appropriate with precise lime work and good atmospheres created.
The ballet perhaps could have been more surreal and detached. The railway scene was most effective with falling snow.Overall a well considered lighting plot.
Sound was excellent with apposite effects, wind, train, etc.
Great attention to detail in costumes, small floral prints for female blouses, prayer-shawls and Yarmulke skull caps for men all gave a homely, peasant feel.
TMS are justifiably proud of their 40years, a lot of water has passed under the bridge of Arra but talent and tradition survives as evinced in this memorable production.
Here's to the next 40 yrs!
L’Chaim.

Tipperary schools play their part for Daffodil Day