Menier Chocolate Factory – until 9th March
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
5*****
If I were a rich man… I would buy a ticket for every week of Fiddler on the Roof’s London run. Trevor Nunn has created a production that follows tradition but still feels very modern.
The intimate space of the Menier is ideal for staging the claustrophobia of shtetl life. Robert Jones’ set is sublime – a rickety and ramshackle row of wooden houses with an intricate series of doors for the inhabitants to appear through. Using just planks and crates, the cast set up different sites in the shtetl that are instantly recognisable.
Fiddler on the Roof is one of those musicals that even people who hate musical theatre can hum at least one tune from, and Jerry Boch and Sheldon Harnick’s music and lyrics just sweep you away from the moment the fiddler puts his bow to the strings. Joseph Stein’s book becomes a little episodic, but that is completely forgivable to reach the show’s lowkey ending. The story of Tevye, the poor dairyman, struggling to marry off his five daughters and the whole community clinging to tradition as a shield against the rapidly changing world is full of humour and emotion; and in the hands of this incredible cast, every word is heartfelt without being corny.
Andy Nyman is a phenomenal Tevye – capturing the frustration, sadness and love of the character in a multi-layered performance that will just blow you away. He is well matched by Judy Kuhn as Golde his long-suffering wife and their scenes together are extraordinary, conveying so much emotion effortlessly, and making familiar songs seem fresh and new. Molly Osborne, Harriet Bunton and Kirsty MacLaren give each of the tentatively rebellious daughters a beautifully subtle strength and Joshua Gannon, Stewart Clarke and Matt Corner are quirky and charming as their imperfect suitors. The whole cast is sublime, with tight vocals and excelling in Matt Cole’s choreography. The production keeps Jerome Robbins’ choreography for the raucous celebrations of To Life and The Wedding/Bottle Dance, with Matt Corner, James Hameed, Miles Barrow, Matthew Hawksley and Adam Margilewski bringing the house down with their insane dancing.
If you’re looking for a production that can pull your heartstrings but keep you laughing out loud and tapping your feet to its irresistible rhythms, then Fiddler on the Roof is the one to see. Simply glorious.