Principal cast for Menier and Nunn’s Fiddler On the Roof

The Menier Chocolate Factory has announced principal casting for Trevor Nunn’s eagerly anticipated new staging of the much-loved classic Fiddler On the Roof.

Quadruple Tony Award nominee Judy Kuhn (Chess, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, The Imperial Theatre, New York) will play Golde opposite the previously announced Andy Nyman (Assassins, Menier Chocolate Factory, Hangmen, Wyndham’s Theatre) as the title character, Tevye.

The cast will also include: Harriet Bunton (Mamma Mia! Novello Theatre, Sunny Afternoon, Harold Pinter Theatre) as Hodel; Dermot Canavan (Oklahoma! Gordon Craig Theatre, West Side Story, Kilworth House) as Lazar Wolf; Stewart Clarke (Assassins, Menier Chocolate Factory, The Rink, Southwark Playhouse) as Perchik; Matt Corner (Jersey Boys, Piccadilly Theatre/UK tour) as Fyedka; Joshua Gannon (Oklahoma! Gordon Craig Theatre, Cilla – The Musical UK tour) as Motel; Louise Gold (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, London Palladium, Follies, Royal Festival Hall) as Yente; Kirsty MacLaren (Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour, National Theatre, Duke of York’s Theatre, international tour) as Chava and recent Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance graduate Molly Osborne who will make her professional stage debut as Tzeitel.

Running from 5 December until 9 March, with previews from 23 November, the production will be the first in London in over a decade, and marks a re-kindling of the acclaimed director’s successful relationship with the prestigious venue that resulted in hit productions of Aspects of Love and a revival of A Little Night Music which transferred to both the West End and Broadway.

With a book by Joseph Stein, music by Jerry Bock and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, Fiddler On the Roof is based on Tevye and his Daughters (Tevye the Dairyman), a series of stories by author and playwright Sholem Aleichem written in Yiddish between 1894 and 1914 about Jewish life in a village in Imperial Russia at the turn of the 20th century.

Debuting on Broadway in 1964, Fiddler On the Roof became the first musical theatre production to play over 3,000 performances and held the record for the longest running Broadway musical for nearly ten years before losing the top spot to Grease. Featuring Zero Mostel in the iconic role of Tevye, the show collected nine Tony Awards and was followed by five successful Broadway revivals.

The show debuted in the West End in 1967 with Israeli actor Topol as Tevye, the role he had previously played in the Tel Aviv production of the show. His performance in the role would lead to his casting in Norman Jewison’s Oscar-winning film version launching the star’s international career.

First revived in London in 1983 for a four-week season at the Apollo Victoria Theatre with Topol reprising his performance as Tevye. The star would also return in 1994 for two months at the London Palladium before headlining the UK touring production.

The last London revival which starred Henry Goodman, opened at the Savoy Theatre in 2007, following a launch run at the Sheffield Crucible. The most recent UK production in 2017, featuring comedy favourite Omid Djalili, was one of the highlights of Daniel Evans and Rachel Tackley’s first season at the Chichester Festival Theatre.

Angela Thomas