On one hand (to borrow the catchphrase of the powerfully portrayed lead character Tevye) this was a masterful presentation of a Broadway favourite.

On the other hand, the audience failed to fully appreciate the sheer brilliance and majesty of Ron Campbell in the lead role, with only four bothering to rise for the richly-deserved standing ovation.

On the other hand, maybe they did appreciate it as each song, dance or particularly important scene was greeted with instant and deserved thunderous applause. On the other hand (to borrow another crowd-chuckling line). there is no other hand.

City Hall was plunged into frighteningly accurate Jewishness for the evening as a huge cast cleverly eked out every possible stereotypical characteristic, habit and nuance from their characters.

It is an intensely Jewish musical and this came across vividly, as we witnessed all the tradition, guilt, social pressure and black humour that you would expect in a turn-of-the-century Jewish village under pressure from the pogroms of Revolutionary Russia. Unfortunately only some, and not all, of the residents of Anatevka had the requisite accents, but the meticulously prepared costumes and set more than made up for this.

Borrowing the expertise of a university-trained Jew to ensure authenticity was clearly a worthwhile exercise with many of the cast benefiting from the advice and Mr. Campbell oozing Jewishness from every pore, particularly evident in his sarcastic appeals to the heavens over his lack of finance and his three-legged horse.

The play centres around Tevye and his fight to preserve his family's tradition. The anguish of the tortuous loss of three of his daughters to ostensibly unsuitable suitors was clear in Mr. Campbell's portrayal, who allowed the soft insecurity of a loving father to seep through beneath the gruff exterior of the 'papa' of the house.

His eldest daughter Tzeitel, played adoringly by Jeane Butterfield, is betrothed through a financial agreement to Lazar Wolf, a rich butcher.

Unfortunately Shawn Angiers' portrayal of the obnoxious and rather unpleasant man was played with a little too much gusto, with his acting as unconvincing as his ridiculous beard in the play's only real weak link.

Instead she chooses to marry her real love, a poor tailor Motel, played by Nicholas Cardinez. Although for the plot it was the right choice, Motel wasn't quite the ideal husband, failing to truly live his part and coming up a few stitches short when it came to what should have been a more tender and romantic solo in Miracle of Miracles.

The second daughter Hodel, was again left a little short-changed in the husband-acting stakes. Jennie Campbell's powerful voice yet sweet innocence was a little too much for the over-earnest Matthew Nester as Perchik. Kelsey Bacon, playing Chava the youngest of the marrying daughters, got the best deal when picking Graeme Henderson's Fyedka for her match.

He played the part of the 'good Russian' with all the requisite sympathy and embarrassment all while being a brilliant dancer.

But these minor criticisms do nothing to detract from what was a thoroughly entertaining and professional performance by a clearly committed cast.

There were some brilliant set-pieces with The Dream sequence showing particular innovation and also the wedding scene, despite a little overcrowding, allowing the cast to show off both their dancing and general enthusiasm for their roles.

But the final word must go to one little actor, who were it not for the lead's brilliance, would surely have stolen the show. At 11, Blake Sonnenfeld offered us a an extraordinary mature performance as the jack-in-the-box, intensely Jewish, Mendel, the Rabbi's son.

His unbounded energy boosted many a scene, with his constant presence around the waists of the adults lending to constant humorous interruptions. On his own he didn't make the musical, but he certainly made a very watchable, enjoyable, emotional and thought-provoking musical even better.

Mazel Tov (Hebrew for congratulations and a phrase you will hear throughout) to all involved.

@EDITRULE:

Gilbert & Sullivan Society's "Fiddler on the Roof" (musical), City Hall theatre, 8 p.m. with a 3 p.m. matinee on Sunday, October 12. Runs until Saturday, October 18. Tickets ($35) and box office at City Hall now open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and one hour before performances. Telephone 292-2313. On line bookings with credit card: www.gands.bm