The Usage of Lighting and Sound Effects in Fiddler on The Roof

Although lighting effects were used lightly in Fiddler on the Roof, they made a large impact and aided in the depiction of the time period. Candles were used in various scenes, for example, candles were used at the family dinner. This created an intimate and traditional environment for the people on and off stage. In addition, the lighting of the stage was used to convey emotion, specifically during the “Tradition Song”. The entire town was singing until the time “he sold him a horse, but delivered a mule” was mentioned, then the townspeople began to squabble. The lighting in the moment conveyed the angry group emotion on stage.

The lighting effects used during this production were often used to portray the spiritual aspects, which were a key element in the plot of the play. For Instance, Tevya (played by Stephen Aberle) had many moments during the show when he would speak and pray to God. When this would happen, the spotlight would shine the slightest bit brighter on Tevya, representing his strong faith. Furthermore, there was a religious text at the back of the stage. This religious text would light up when Tevya was at peace with the Lord, and with his family. This was an outstanding use of lights, in a very subtle way, that only some people may appreciate. It was absolutely incredible, and completely unbelievable that every cast member in Fiddler on the Roof was a quadruple threat. Not only could every actor act, sing, and dance, they each played an instrument as well. The fact that there was no orchestra, just the cast playing instruments, created a surreal sound experience, that was not only enjoyable but also very impressive for everyone in the crowd to hear.

The sound was not just used in effects, but also in creative ways throughout the show. There was obviously a few machine sound effects, such as crashing, that appeared to happen offstage. There were noises that were used in particular recurring situations as well. As an illustration, every time Tevya would have his moments praying with God, we would hear wind chimes. Wind chimes are often referred to as a calming and spiritual sound, this sound enhanced the connection we saw between Tevye and God. The noise was also used as a way of establishing character, principally demonstrated in the character of Yente (played by…). Yente was an eccentric elder, who was the matchmaker of the town. She would often talk offstage, before coming on, or continue talking once she’d left the stage. This showed her character’s confidence and importance, as well as established distance, as she would talk quieter as she got further away. This was extremely well done on the actor’s part. The musical aspect of this production just adds another dimension, that enhances the live theatre experience. It is very difficult to perform a live musical, as it is impossible to predict when a voice may malfunction. This is why it was utterly extraordinary that the singing seemed to be perfection. Not a note off key could be detected, it was simply astonishing.