Not every production of Fiddler on the Roof elevates the comedy elements as much as this one, with Adam Dannheisser’s Tevye, father of five daughters, reacting more with surprise than explosive anger at his older children deciding, separately, who they wish to marry for themselves rather than following the local customs and traditions, which include arranged marriages. Tevye’s wife, Golde (Lara Pulver), comes across as bossy by necessity, running a busy household, rather than being acid-tongued for dramatic effect, such that Pulver’s performance is nuanced and highly convincing.
In the end, it’s a musical from a previous generation about a previous generation before that, though the family dynamics are nonetheless interesting to observe. When there is cause for celebration, such as during ‘To Life’, in which a toast becomes a full-blown song-and-dance number, there’s never the feeling that one is waiting for the tune to finish so the story can resume – even if, technically, that was precisely what was happening.
Instead, it was easy to sit back and let the villagers have their moment. The opening number, ‘Tradition’, very much sets the tone for the rest of the evening, though there was division amongst characters as to what precisely constitutes a traditional way of life. Dilemmas keep cropping up, and not only for Tevye: the Rabbi (Mark Faith) finds himself clarifying that dancing isn’t, according to his understanding, prohibited in the Jewish faith. Just as well: this is, after all, a musical.
Julia Cheng’s choreography perhaps shines best in ‘Tevye’s Dream’, which involves more or less the entire company joining in to bring the song to life. Later, the ‘bottle dance’, a creation of original director/choreographer Jerome Robbins, brought the house down. Whether there were magnets, holders, Velcro or anything else involved, I couldn’t possibly say. I don’t think it really matters – it looked like and felt like the dancers did it all without deception.
For all the varied interactions Tevye has with the other villagers, and with a sympathetic Russian officer, it is his conversations with God that prove the most engaging, and dare I say it, entertaining, not wanting to tread too much on the toes of a supreme being who must be, Tevye reasons, preoccupied with wider problems in the world to devote much time and resource to his humble requests.
On balance, having seen the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre run of this production last year, I prefer seeing it indoors. Truth be told, that’s partly to do with my hayfever, and to a lesser extent, not being distracted by a pigeon flying across the stage repeatedly and an overhead helicopter. And there was, in hindsight, something a bit odd about seeing Fiddler on the Roof in a roofless theatre. But setting all that aside and looking at the production, it was never difficult to maintain interest in a show that flows so incredibly well from start to finish. The audience is left to make connections between 1905 and 2025 for themselves. A confident, slick and assured production, it may not be Fiddler as you know it, but then Fiddler is all about challenging old traditions. An excellent and enjoyable experience.
Review by Chris Omaweng
It’s 1905 in the tiny village of Anatevka. Tevye, a Jewish milkman, lives his life by their proud traditions. For his five daughters, that means a visit from the matchmaker. As each daughter challenges his beliefs, against the backdrop of a changing world, can he hold on to his roots, or must he bend to the will of his children and embrace the unfamiliar?
One of the greatest musicals of all time featuring, ‘If I Were A Rich Man’, ‘Tradition’, ‘Matchmaker’ and ‘Sunrise, Sunset’, this classic musical of joy and community is an exuberant celebration of love and life.
CAST
Adam Dannheisser – Tevye
Lara Pulver – Golde
Beverley Klein – Yente
Natasha Jules Bernard – Tzeitel
Georgia Bruce – Hodel
Hannah Bristow – Chava
Ashleigh Schuman – Shprintze
Georgia Dixon – Bielke
Matthew Woodyatt – Mordcha / Innkeeper / alternative Tevye
Dan Wolff – Motel
Daniel Krikler – Perchik
Gregor Milne – Fyedka
Michael S. Siegel – Lazar Wolf
Mark Faith – Rabbi
Toby Turpin – Mendel
Gareth Davies – Avram
Ed Bruggemeyer – Nachum
Sue Appleby – Shandel
Susannah van den Berg – Rifka
Carys McQueen – Mirila
Raphael Papo – The Fiddler
Karl Wilson – Constable
Simon Anthony – Sasha
Jack Osmond – Russian #1
Alex Pinder – Russian #2
Dylan Saffer, Chris Draper, Maya Kristal Tenenbaum – offstage swings
CREATIVE TEAM
Based on the Sholem Aleichem Stories by Special Permission of Arnold Perl
Book by Joseph Stein
Music by Jerry Bock
Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick
Mark Aspinall – Musical Supervisor and Additional Orchestrations
Larry Blank – Orchestrations
Laura Braid – Associate Choreographer
Stuart Burt CDG – Casting Director
Julia Cheng – Choreographer
Yarit Dor – Fight and Intimacy Director
Jordan Fein – Director
Hannah Hauer-King – Associate Director
Nina Van Houten – Wigs, Hair and Make Up Designer
Nick Lidster – Sound Designer
Aideen Malone – Lighting Designer
Peter Noden – Casting Associate
Rabbi Rose Prevezer – Jewish Culture, Religion and History Consultant
Tom Scutt – Set and Costume Designer
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
Barbican Theatre
24 May to 19 July 2025
Book Tickets for Fiddler on the Roof
