Chicago Tribune
- Highly Recommended
"...Topol’s regal voice as Tevye, though, represents just part of his appeal. The imploring way he raises his hands to the heavens as he communes aloud with God, the bounce in his step as he dances jubilantly at his daughter’s wedding, the sorrow on his face as the czar’s soldiers attack his village all make Tevye—and his long-vanished world—feel tangibly real."
Chicago Sun Times
- Highly Recommended
"...Clearly some mystical bond of theatrical genius united writer Joseph Stein (who adapted the stories of Sholem Aleichem), composer Jerry Bock, lyricist Sheldon Harnick and director-choreographer Jerome Robbins when they first devised this musical 45 years ago. And now, under the impeccable eye of director-choreographer Sammy Dallas Bayes, their work is not simply ideally replicated, but feels deeper and more timely than ever as it talks about both tradition and radical change. The scenes of daily life in the little Jewish shtetl of Anatevka, circa 1906 -- and the wonderful abandon, chaos and ritual of the great Jewish wedding that is the show's centerpiece, a celebration so calamitously interrupted by a pogrom and eviction by the Ukrainian locals -- are rendered with brilliance."
Daily Herald
- Highly Recommended
"...So how does Topol, now in his 70s, stack up today as the Jewish milkman and father of five daughters who is constantly having one-sided conversations with God about life's inconveniences in czarist Russia? Let's just say Topol is a pro who knows how to milk as many laughs and tears out of Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick's classic score and Joseph Stein's savvy script."
Chicago Reader
- Somewhat Recommended
"...oo much of this touring production has the feel of a ritual gone stale. Scenes are punctuated with empty gestures, like prayers spoken in a forgotten language; Topol--giving his "farewell" performance--offers a self-contained, languid Tevye who's nothing more than henpecked (Susan Cella's charmless turn as Golde leaves no ambiguity on that score). This tradition is due for shaking up."
Examiner
- Recommended
"...With staging that harkens back to Jerome Robbins’ original choreography and direction, this Fiddler doesn’t break any new ground. That’s a good thing as far as we’re concerned – Fiddler should be spared the dubious revisionism that often marks and mars other revivals."
Centerstage
- Highly Recommended
"...Wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles! Audiences have another chance to be treated to one of the world's best-loved, classic musicals, now in Chicago on the final leg of its "Farewell Tour." However, make no mistake: this is no old chestnut, but a production as fresh and exciting as the day it was written and featuring a cast, particularly Chaim Topol in the leading role of Tevye, who perform with all the warmth and passion of the original."
ChicagoCritic
- Highly Recommended
"...What is the most wonderful is that the songs and story – familiar to most theatergoers via earlier exposure – are suddenly new and meaningful. A live performance – ephemeral by its very nature – can never be repeated – is forever new!"
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Highly Recommended
"...This revival is strongly cast and while it follows the original direction and choreography by Jerome Robbins as reproduced by Sammy Dallas Bayes it is masterfully done. From the opening number of "Tradition" through the Finale as the characters leave the town that has been their home and head for America."
Chicago Theater Beat
- Highly Recommended
"...Joy, heartbreak, and the ability to survive populate the Anatevka currently located in the Oriental Theatre. The big selling point for this North American tour of the classic musical is Chaim Topol, who has starred as Tevye around the world and in the 1971 film adaptation, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. His tried-and-true performance matches the rest of the production; director/choreographer Sammy Dallas Bayes has recreated Jerome Robbins’ original choreography and direction from the 1964 Broadway debut for the tour. Instead of some sort of theatrical museum piece, though, Tevye’s tale still comes across as fresh and thought-provoking even though our Chicago is thousands of miles and centuries away from rural, tsarist Russia.
