Manchester Theatre News & Reviews

REVIEW - Fiddler On The Roof is a fusion of theatre excellence, heart, tradition, humour and poignancy, making it a formidable force!

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On Tuesday, we were invited to the Palace Theatre, Manchester to see Fiddler On The Roof. Read what our reviewer Karen Ryder had to say about this giant of a musical...

Fiddler On The Roof has taken the theatre world by storm since its sold out run at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and The Barbican, continuing its success with a UK tour that is selling out with equal vigour. Written in 1958 by Joesph Stein, it was an immediate hit on Broadway, a film followed in 1971, and it has never looked back since. Tevye welcomes us into his shtetl and divulges his woes about marrying off his five daughters amidst growing tensions, particularly when one by one they want to break with tradition and marry for love. What is a poor Jewish milkman to do? He struggles between his faith, beliefs, and traditions as they battle with his desire for his daughters happiness. Life is hard as they face poverty and constant harassment from their non-Jewish neighbours, and The Fiddler On The Roof is ever present, a symbol of trying to safely play life’s beautiful melody whilst negotiating the rooftops and simultaneously staying alive by not falling off the roof! When Tevye’s shtetl is attacked, faith is tested as questions creep in of why their God would allow such things to happen to them. He struggles with his own decisions and ends up entwined in an elaborate lie to his wife regarding a dream about their ancestors. With an attack on their village only a whisper away, Tevye has some difficult decisions to make about his daughter, his friends, and his home. This is a story that will engage musical theatre fans both old and new, a significant echo of Tevye’s own internal struggle as he battles to keep his traditions alive in an ever changing new and modern world.

Directed by Jordan Fein, this production of Fiddler On The Roof has been wowing audiences for a reason. It delicately handles difficult conversations yet doesn’t shy away from their purpose. It makes the old shake hands with the new, and that is a glorious reflection of the story at large, making this a piece of theatre that Fein has not only created with skill, experience, and knowledge, but has instinctively navigated his way through and allowed this world class team of cast and creatives to express their heartfelt responses to the source material. Set design by Tom Scutt commands your attention and respect from the off. I don’t want to give too much away so that the moment is kept intact for new audiences, but let’s just say that I’ve experienced costume reveals before, but never set reveals, and this feels like it has created a whole new genre!

As the show continues, its surroundings wonderfully echo every nuance of the story, allowing our sense of imagination to complete the cycle and believe we are in Anatevka over a hundred years ago. Julia Cheng choreographs with a nod of respect to the original film, whilst allowing her own vision to emerge and shine with stunning clarity. The ensemble work is an unfathomable twister of kinetic energy and finesse, tradition and change, fight and freedom. This is clear in the bar scene where we see Cossack dancing on tables, rounded off with the highest split jump I have ever seen! The dance extends the story throughout and each step has a reason and a purpose. This is an exemplary example of dance taking over when words aren’t enough. Aidden Malone uses lighting to both reflect the mood of the scene and impact our emotional response. Sombre lighting strengthens the struggles and claustrophobic oppression of the village, and intertwines with the dark humour at play, yet brings us light and joy with moments of hope, love, and defiance, lighting up the underneath of the roof and highlighting the inscribed Anatevka.

Matthew Woodyatt is outstanding at Tevye, easily breaking the fourth wall and making the audience his allies. He is warm and companiable, making us instinctively like him and find understanding and empathy in his story. He brings humour and heart in equal measures and his voice rings out with impressive clarity, providing shivers of delight. During “If I were A Rich Man,” (which is a masterclass in acting through song) he generously shares the stage and spotlight with The Fiddler, Raphael Papo as they duet this iconic song together. Another stand out partnership is in his matchmaking scene with Michael S. Siegel as Lazar Wolf as they misfire their conversation, one talking about marriage, one talking about selling (or not) a milk cow, and the inevitable messy drinking that follows. The comedic timing is flawless and the audience were lapping it up. Jodie Jacobs as Golde is outstanding. Far from the repressed quiet and obedient wife, we are given a jostling, capable, determined, no nonsense, approachable woman, who loves fiercely but takes no prisoners either. There is a touching moment as she sings with Tevye about being married for 25 years, allowing us to witness both her softer side and traditional duties. And her voice is insane! So powerful and moving that my jaw was a little agog! Beverley Klein as Yente is hilarious. Her speech style is so naturalistic that you truly think she is having a genuine little gossip every time she speaks. She knows exactly how and where to find the funny in a sentence and we absolutely lapped it up.

Tevye’s three daughters who break with tradition are portrayed by Natasha Jules Bernard as Tzeitel, Georgia Bruce as Hodel, and Hannah Bristow as Chava. Natasha Jules Bernard is strong and powerful, giving her character a determination which is formidable enough to start off the chain reaction of daring to break with tradition. Her partnership with Dan Wolff - our shy, lovestruck Motel – is wonderfully matched as they create space for each other with a mutual respect that allows Motel to grow in confidence without Tzeitel having to compromise any of hers. Georgia Bruce is paired with Greg Bernstein as Perchik and between them they give a couple who aren’t influenced by the opinions of others or restricted by tradition. They want to take on the world and change it for the better, and with their feisty and playful spirit of youthful optimism, you truly believe they will. Hannah Bristow’s Chava gives Tevye the biggest headache of all as she falls in love with Fyedka, performed by Gregor Milne. They manoeuvre their relationship in a completely different way and the tension they explore is palpable.

We cannot have a Fiddler On The Roof review without mentioning the magnificent musical score and plethora of songs by Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock that have not only stood the test of time but flourished with it. Whether you favour the iconic ‘If I Were A Rich Man,’ the clever and witty ‘Matchmaker, Matchmaker,’ or the beauty of ‘Sunrise, Sunset,’ you cannot fail to be moved, and even changed by these songs. The music beautifully embraces and mixes its modes and scales to evoke and capture specific moods and settings. It reflects the compass of the story, allowing tradition and modern to nestle side by side by switching between Ionian and the distinctive Phrygian dominant scale. These songs are glorious and to experience them in context gave me goosebumps and core memories I will carry with me.

There are plenty of stand out moments in this production, the expertly delivered humour throughout being one of them. With witty statements such as “I always wanted a son! I just hoped he would be younger than me,” or “Tevye’s plea to his God of “I know we are the chosen people but could you just for once choose someone else?” the laughter is just as strong as the poignancy, the heartache and the injustice. And of course, there is also the bottle dance, which is a highlight indeed and incredible to watch. The adrenaline builds with each step until you are fizzing with sheer joy at the achievements of these phenomenal dancers. The dream sequence is one to behold and is brilliantly bonkers and full of crazy chaos yet timed to perfection from the shoulder jigs to the head tilts, and the creation of a ghost through twisted and contorted bed sheets that engulfs the stage with long and bony manipulated arms. It is a difficult scene to bring to life in a way that fits the rest of the show, yet it was achieved with clarity, fun, and a wild rebellion.

Fiddler On The Roof is a fusion of theatre excellence, heart, tradition, humour and poignancy, making it a formidable force. It is steeped in tradition yet feels shiny and new. Persecution claws its way through the story yet it rises like a phoenix from the flames united, brimming with understanding. It finds an elusive sweet spot of balancing faith and tradition with a changing world, with a willingness to adapt without forsaking. Despite it being written over sixty years ago, and set well over one hundred years ago, Fiddler On The Roof displays a stoic endurance that resonates in a 2025 world. Its themes seem immune to time and experience as we are faced with the irony of how far humanity is capable of coming with industry, technology, and invention, yet how difficult it seems to evolve in terms of equity and equality towards each other. It is beautifully tragic and painfully joyous. It is a smorgasbord of opposing truths, loves, opinions and beliefs, finding a way to blend together and serve up the most wonderful feast.

Fiddler On The Roof is a giant amongst musicals and I must admit I felt a little daunted at the thought of attempting to review such an iconic show. However, now I have seen it, I realise that my concerns about writing a review which considered, dissected, and did justice to all the themes at play, the artistic interpretation, and to the politics, were all replaced with what the show truly provides – a visceral, physical and emotional response to people, to humanity, and all our flaws, perfections, and everything in between. Fiddler On The Roof is an incredibly moving show, peppered with heartfelt, self-reflective humour, and sadly holds a mirror up to current world events, which one hopes the world would have learnt by and moved on from. It hits home in a very real and raw way yet manages to simultaneously entertain and delight. And there is something quietly symbolic about a lone fiddler, standing on a roof and watching the world from above. Perhaps we too could take heed and step outside of our own bubbles long enough to gaze upon the world at large as we stand on our own metaphorical roof and remember that it takes more than our own singular note to make a melody.