Fiddler On The Roof - 2016 Broadway Cast Recording

"Fiddler on the Roof," the classic musical based on the "Tevye the Dairyman" tales of Shalom Aleichem, is once again gracing the Broadway stage, and Broadway Records has just released the cast recording.

Having only been revived (and recorded) twelve years ago, this may seem a little too soon to have yet another recording of the Jerry Bock / Sheldon Harnick / Joe Stein show, but this recording is innocuous and harmless, like a next-door neighbor you have known for years, that doesn't cause any problems in the area, but doesn't call any attention either.

Danny Burstein ("The Drowsy Chaperone," "Follies") becomes the latest actor to put on the prayer shawl and sell milk and cheese to the people of the Russian town of Anatevka. His portrayal of Tevye is endearing, and as the only actor on the recording attempting to at least pretend to be Russian, he gives us a semblance of the time and place we are supposed to believe we are observing.

Jessica Hecht ("Harvey" with Jim Parsons) plays Golde, Tevye's wife of 25 years. Golde is one of the most thankless roles in musical theater, coming across as a foible for the married side of Tevye's life instead of a stay-at-home mother of five who must juggle the domestic needs of a poor family. But Hecht does her job well, though she definitely comes across as the weaker spouse in the couple's duet, "Do You Love Me?"

The score contains many iconic melodies, and they are all functionally presented on this new recording. From the opening violin strains of "Tradition," through "Matchmaker," "If I Were a Rich Man," "Miracle of Miracles," "Sunrise, Sunset," and "Far From The Home I Love," the cast performs all these musical mainstays with the passion and accuracy of a well-directed regional production of "Fiddler on the Roof."

To spend Broadway prices to hear another production of "Fiddler" is overrated, but "Fiddler on the Roof (2016 Broadway Cast Recording)" is a nice revisit to the neighbor next door. Bring them some pie. It doesn't even have to be kosher.

"Fiddler on the Roof" (2016 Broadway Cast Recording)
$13.99
CD and digital formats
www.broadwayrecords.com