Grand Theatre, Leeds – until 2nd August 2025
Reviewed by Katie Brewerton
5*****
Fiddler on the Roof has been around for over 50 years and is still thrilling audiences today. Originally opening on Broadway in 1964 it’s clear to see why it has stood the test of time. Based on the stories of Jewish writer Sholem Aleichem, telling the story of a Jewish family in Russia in 1905.
In the village of Anatevka tradition is one of the most important things. Tevye (Matthew Woodyatt) has 5 daughters which all need to be married and as is tradition the matches must be made by a matchmaker in Anatevka it’s Yente (Beverley Klein). They must also be approved by Tevye, it is simply unheard of for someone to find their own match.
Tevye’s 3 eldest daughters gradually break further and further from tradition and test Tevye’s love for his family, tradition and faith. Beginning with eldest Tzeitel (Natasha Jules Bernard) making her own promise to marry her childhood friend Motel (Dan Wolff). After Yente makes a match for Tzeitel with much older Lazer Wolf (Michael S. Siegel) they must beg Tevye to allow them to marry and to break his word to Lazer Wolf.
After allowing this match he then has his values and traditions questioned even further when his second eldest daughter, Hodel (Ashleigh Schuman) asks just for his blessing and not his permission to wed Perchik (Greg Bernstein) a radical who’s passing through after studying in Kyiv. He decides his daughters happiness is more important than tradition and uses unconventional methods to convince his wife Golde (Josie Jacobs) that these marriages are the best thing for his daughters.
His resolve is tested for a final time with his middle daughter Chava (Hannah Bristow) choosing to marry Fyedka (Gregor Milne) who isn’t even Jewish, this is something Tevye can’t accept and is something that may cause him to lose Chava forever.
Alongside this there are rumours of Jews being driven out of their homes in other villages throughout Russia, with a lot of Anatevka not interested in what’s happening in the rest of the country they believe they are safe, this soon proves not to be the case despite the constable being a supposed friend to them.
With hits such as Matchmaker and If I Were a Rich Man the songs are sure to get stuck in your head and get you tapping your feet. The orchestra and cast being on stage for large parts of the show only adds to the magic. A fantastic set including the roof being lowered when required, it’s never made clear why there is a Fiddler on the Roof but he plays beautifully as does Bristow when her clarinet is introduced towards the end. The whole cast is hugely talented with Matthew Woodyatt standing out in the lead role.
With humour mixed with darker thought-provoking scenes this show is up there as one of the greatest and longest running musicals and is a must see for all theatre goers.