"Without TRADITION our lives would be as shaky as a...

In keeping with our now 5 year tradition, yes, once I've done something 2 times I consider it to be a tradition; Holly and I renewed our season tickets for the Broadway Across America Portland Series. When we first decided to subscribe as season ticket holders we were still in college. We both enjoyed seeing plays/musicals/"cultural stuff" that not everyone else seemed as interested in. We picked the cheapest seats, we were college students after all. Once our tickets arrived for the first season we realized we were sitting on the main floor...no balcony, mezzanine or 2nd mezzanine business for us. We were excited. Our seats were back row of the main floor with a post on one side of us and two seats and then the aisle and doorway on the other side. We couldn't have asked for better seats. Easy access, people only one one side of us, no one walking across our foot path to get to their seats, easy exit. We have kept our same seats all five years, and though we've talked about "upgrading" we probably won't. We are happy where we are. Thursday nights are our nights, dinner and then the show.

The first show of this season was Fiddler on the Roof, which I've seen before and love the music and Holly has never seen. I kept hearing ads on the radio for the show stating that this would be Topol's farewell tour. I kept thinking..."who the heck is Topol? Must be a pretty impressive guy." I told my mom and dad and I believe my dad's response was... "He's still alive!?" Hmmm...what was the show going to be like?

We walked into the theatre lobby and there was an announcement that the show would begin promptly at 7:30, unusual because all the shows started 5-10 minutes late and we'd grown accustomed to that schedule. We got in and situated and low and behold, right at 7:30 the lights went down and the current opened. I remembered immediately when the fiddle music began how much I really did love this show and the music of it. Shortly this Topol came out (I still had no idea who he was and I hadn't had time to read the actor blib in the program before the lights went down) and the crowd went wild, well, as wild as a Broadway musical watching crowd can become. I shortly discovered why. He was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! He had all the nuances of the charater of Tevye down pat, the walk, the talk, the sighing, the gestures. He had captured the audience.

We went along and made it to intermission (I sometimes neglectfully call it half-time, though we are not at a sporting event). I finally was able to read the actor bio and discovered the reason he is so wonderful. Chaim Topol has been performing this part for at least 32 years, more years than I've been alive. He had opened the show on London's West End, performed on Broadway in NYC, in Sydney Australia, and starred in the movie version. I told Holly that he probably has this character ingrained in his own person and probably sees Tevye creep out in his own life. How could he not?! Seriously, after all those years you sort of become who you are acting, which is why he was so good I'm sure. I expected him to maybe be 55 (note: later, after looking him up I discovered he has been playing this part for nearly 40 years and is 74, well, in a few days...Sept 9th he will be 74). WOW! He still sauntered around the stage and I'm sure that his fellow cast members had a hard time keeping up with him at times.

I would continue to be amazed through the second act. So, thank you for the education dear Topol. Thank you for your dear, sweet, yet sassy portrayal of such a wonderful character who was trying to get by and live life as best he could while the world and his long held traditions were crumbling around him. It is a good lesson for us all.

Chaim Topol as "Tevye" in the opening scene.

The cast in a rendetion of "Tradition"