Fiddler on the Roof – Playhouse Theatre

Fiddler on the Roof continues at the Playhouse Theatre, London until 2 November 2019.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

When news comes that a classic musical – perhaps one that it is nearly 60 years old like Fiddler on the Roof – is going to be revived, the announcement is rarely met with the same enthusiasm as when a straight play is picked from the archives.

Any doubters should visit the Playhouse Theatre as soon as possible to see that theory blown out of the water by director Trevor Nunn’s top-notch production which immerses an audience in the life of the people living in Anatevka, a pre-Revolution Russian shtetl, whose plight is still relevant today.

It was with musicals such as Fiddler that my father began my musical theatre education (we’re talking 1970s), but I am not sure I have ever seen a production of the piece that has resonated so powerfully as this.

At the core of our story is of course poor Jewish milkman Tevye, his wife Golde and their five daughters. Tevye sings about the importance of ‘Tradition’ but also acknowledges life within his own family dynamic and beyond is beginning to seem as precarious as a ‘fiddler on the roof’.

It is Tevye’s struggle between holding on to his deeply-felt cultural and religious beliefs and adapting to the very different paths being taken by those he loves that is at the heart of this intelligent piece, and it is often heartbreaking to witness. On the evening I visited, Robert Maskell was standing in for Andy Nyman and it was a bravura performance encompassing all of Tevye’s wit, stubbornness, passion and love.

While Golde and Yente the Matchmaker (portrayed respectively by wonderful new additions to the cast, Maria Friedman and Anita Dobson) are busy thinking up potential partners for daughters Tzeital (Molly Osborne), Hodel (Harriet Bunton) and Chava (Nicola Brown). However, the  intelligent young women have very different thoughts about their husbands-to-be.

To Tevye’s despair: Tzeital cannot bear the thought of marrying rich butcher Lazar Wolf (Dermot Canavan) and only has eyes for her childhood friend, poor tailor Motel (James Hameed); lively banter turns to love between Hodel and visiting scholar/revolutionary Perchik (Ed Wade); and, perhaps most difficult of all, Chava becomes dedicated to Fyedka (Matthew Hawksley), on this occasion a symbol of Russian authority but worst of all, a Christian.

Each of the scenarios is played out with great sensitivity by the consistently excellent cast. Particularly overwhelming is the scene when Hodel leaves Anatevka for Siberia where Perchik is in exile.

All this hints at the intensity of the proceedings, but there is plenty of humour and lightness of touch elsewhere to ensure the show’s emotional equilibrium. I had forgotten how funny Joseph Stein’s libretto was, featuring some great one-liners with Tevye having the lion’s share, although Golde has some pretty impressive zingers too. And that’s before you get to Yente’s thoughts on her late husband.

And what an absolute joy Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock’s score is, played so impressively by an eight-piece orchestra led by Paul Bogaev, with orchestrations by Jason Carr. The songs are always so integral to the storytelling and particularly impressive here during scenes of quieter emotion: ‘Sabbath Prayer’, ‘Now I Have Everything’, ‘Do You Love Me’ and  ‘Far From the Home I Love’ being some examples.

Thanks once again to Nunn’s staging and Matt Cole’s choreography (combined with the original work from Jerome Robbins)‚ the group numbers also have an enormous impact, whether in the celebratory energy of ‘The Wedding’ or in the final sense of loss as a close-knit community of innocent people are forced to leave the place they call home.

Alongside the work of costume designer Jonathan Lipman, Timothy Lutkin (lighting) and Gregory Clarke (sound), Robert Jones’ set plays a major role in creating such a powerful drama. The simplicity of using crates and doors to create a scene feels true to the integrity of the story being told, while the landscape in which this community lives spreads into the auditorium and envelopes us. As the performers go about their daily lives in and around where we are seated, we become part of that environment.

When the people we have come to care about leave their homes, walking past us, not knowing what the future will bring, the sound of the footsteps reach a crescendo and it is hard to bear.

All in all, this revival proves what a fine piece of art Fiddler on the Roof remains, but it is also a musical for our time and one which remains sadly pertinent to what is happening in the world today.

Lisa Martland

Tickets for Fiddler on the Roof are available HERE.