Fiddler on the Roof review - A perfect balance of tradition and transformation
Posted on
| By
Sian McBride
Playing at the Barbican, the Olivier Award-winning Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production finally has a roof - but with masterful performances from Adam Dannheisser, Lara Pulver, and Hannah Bristow, and thrilling choreography by Julia Cheng, it’s in danger of blowing it off.
A lone fiddler (Raphael Papo), lost in the melodies of his trusty instrument, plays in an overgrown crop field. Nature claws at him - keen to let him know his place in the fragile ecosystem - he sways and breaths along with the notes that fill the air. Dreamlike the crop field rises, and he is suspended in midair. The field is now the titular roof.
It’s an ethereal opening fit for a fairytale. Brought to life by visionary set designer Tom Scutt, the beautiful opening makes the inevitable destruction all the more chilling. When Tevye (Olivier nominee Adam Dannheisser) appears minutes later, he brings the weight of reality that the fiddler, and the community, faces. They must scratch out a living without breaking their neck. Suddenly the majestic scene is brought into a new light - the pink sunrise still evident, but it can so easily become darker, a blood red. The fiddler is dancing with danger, but he dances nonetheless. It’s a balance, and one that he has seemingly mastered.
It is here Jordan Fein draws comparisons with the fiddler, his production of the much-loved Broadway sensation, showcases the balance perfectly and is perfectly balanced itself. Never tilting to one extreme or the other, his production treads a fine line - never sentimental, never bitter. It avoids nostalgia and overt politics. Though modern parallels are easy to see - especially in the scene where a Russian mob attacks a Jewish celebration - Fein resists using his stage as a platform to preach or lecture.
It is joyous. Julia Cheng's choreography is expressive, powerful and passionate. The ensemble dances - especially at the wedding and the infamous ‘bottle dance’ - are thrilling to watch. Limbs flail as men and boys jump, squat, spin and roar. They are having the time of their lives, and the audience watching it are too. Energetic and upbeat, there’s freedom here: of movement, of spirit.
There’s also a sense of freedom for the female protagonists. The eldest two of Tevye’s five daughters go against tradition and follow their hearts. They are brave and stand up to the patriarch, even when it feels like an unreachable dream. In Tzeitel’s (Natasha Jules Bernard) and Motel’s (Dan Wolff) case it is literally unattainable. In one, of many, standout scenes, the couple sit at a vast table so large they physically can reach eachother - even when Motel contorts his body like a circus act, feet shimmying under the table to get closer to his love, his waist, bent double at the edge, desperately stretching his arms across - he can’t quite get to his girl. The father, begrudgingly at first, allows his daughters to marry. It’s a triumph for love and for feminism. They are not seen as property but as people. They are listened to.
Love is also beautifully shown in “Sunrise, Sunset”. The large auditorium glows only by candlelight - a soft, intimate light for such a pure scene. It is a tender moment showing the tender beginnings of young love. This quiet and reflective moment makes the events at the end of Act One so inhumane.
Adam Dannheisser’s Tevye is loveable and magnetic. He lands the dad jokes with charm and brings real emotional depth—loving, faithful, and weary, but never cartoonish. He is complex, not a caricature as previous incarnations have tended towards. His rendition of “If I Were A Rich Man” is a real highlight, filled with both humanity and humour.
The three eldest daughters, Tzeitel, Hodel (Georgia Bruce), and Chava (Hannah Bristow) are captivating to watch. A talented trio, their harmonies in "Matchmaker" are breathtaking. The two younger girls seamlessly transition between childlike innocence and dread when Tzeitel informs them who their matches are likely to be. Yente the matchmaker (played with a mischievous twinkle in her eye by Olivier nominee Beverley Klein) is also brutal with their opportunities. When one complains that a suitor is bald, she replies simply “if you want hair, marry a monkey”
Golde (ANOTHER Olivier nominee Lara Pulver) plays their mama with grace, devotion and determination. She is quietly powerful, and commands the stage whenever she is on it. Her duet with Tevye, “Do You Love Me?”, is heartfelt and profound.
More than half a century since its premiere, the love affair between audiences and Fiddler on the Roof shows no sign of fizzling out. It’s a perfect match - even Yente would agree.
Fiddler on the Roof plays at the Barbican until 19 July 2025.