Opening Night Review: Fiddler on the Roof

 First Night: Fiddler on the Roof, Savoy Theatre London

Written By Jonathan Bloom for WestEndTheatreWorld.com

Why does Fiddler on the Roof, Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick and Joseph Stein's 1964 Broadway musical about the poor Russian Jewish community of Anatevka, have such enduring appeal?  On the face of it, the story of Tevye and his five daughters struggling to, and embracing, change whilst facing oncoming ethnic cleansing from Christian Russians, might not seem the ideal premise for a commercially viable song and dance.  Moreover, with approximately ten new shows opening in London this season, many of them thriving on spectacle or lampooning self-parody, is Fiddler really worthy of a West End revival? 

The answer is a resounding 'yes', even if Lindsay Posner's production is solid and respectful rather than insightful or sensational.  Unlike David Leveaux's visually arresting but emotionally unengaging recent Broadway revival, Posner's physical staging lacks finesse but compensates by allowing the humour and pathos of Stein's wonderful book to shine.  It is no surprise that Fiddler's universal themes about the breakdown of tradition and the realisation of political and personal change seem as vital and moving today as they were 50 or 100 years ago.  Jerry Bock's score is also a gem, from the rousing opening number 'Tradition' to songs of understated beauty such as 'Do You Love Me?' and 'Sunrise Sunset', although Harnick's lyrics often let the side down. 

Another reason to visit the Savoy is to savour Henry Goodman's phenomenal performance as the patriarch Tevye.  Goodman embodies the man who is described as 'always joking' with a cheeky glint in his eye and a knowing manner as he conducts his shtick, handling the comedy with his usual mastery.  Avoiding the over-earnest sentimentality of his famous predecessors in the role (Topol and Zero Mostel), Goodman also handles Tevye's twisted logic monologues to God with a touching sense of reverence and devotion.  And when he rages ('If I get angry, even the flies will be afraid to fly'), we see beneath the anger a vulnerable and sensitive man who is afraid of confronting the changes brought about by his strong-willed daughters.   

Goodman is well matched by Beverly Klein as his no-nonsense wife Golde, while Alexandra Silber's well-sung Hodel is the only of the daughters to generate much emotion.  Elsewhere, the cast shines in the occasional moments of brilliance conjured up by Jerome Robbins' electric choreography, although on Peter McKintosh's cumbersome revolving wooden set, they often seem cramped for space. 

While the over-long Fiddler on the Roof may seem like a poor contender for this season's must have ticket, I would rather three hours of its genuine warmth, heart and humour over the vacuous manufactured emotions of Wicked or the nudge-nudge-wink-wink comedy of Spamalot