FIDDLER ON THE ROOF:
A REVELROUS REVIVAL

Fresh off the success of a record-breaking season in London’s West End — winning three Olivier Awards including Best Musical Revival — Fiddler on the Roof brings a potent combination of infectious energy, playfulness, and poignancy to the Australian theatre scene.

Stein, Harnick and Bock’s iconic 1964 Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof — boasting nine Tony Awards across its historic 3,242-performance original run — is as powerful today as it was sixty years ago.

Set in 1905 Imperial Russia, the story centres on Tevye — a poor Jewish milkman struggling to make ends meet, marry off his strong-willed daughters, and keep cultural traditions alive amidst growing political unrest in an increasingly anti-Semitic state. As his three eldest daughters challenge age-old customs by choosing to marry for love, Tevye is forced to balance his devotion to faith and family against the looming threat of eviction from his beloved village of Anatevka.

Ultimately, Tevye’s emotional journey mirrors the resilience of his entire community — exploring how generations have held onto geniality and dignity, even when forced to scatter to distant corners of the world and leave everything behind. You’d be forgiven for thinking this would make for heavy viewing. Yet the latest revival of Fiddler on the Roof is anything but. In fact, it’s a surprisingly buoyant production with plenty of oomph.

With a mix of gravitas and playful energy, Troy Sussman (Back to the Future, Sunset Boulevard) anchors a powerhouse cast as Tevye. He delights the audience with amusing asides, tongue-in-cheek humour, and subtle physical comedy throughout — and knocks the iconic “If I Were a Rich Man” out of the park. This particular number is beautifully performed by Sussman alongside Ben Adler as the fiddler, with the pair demonstrating notable physical chemistry that makes the audience chuckle and sway along.

Sussman shares an equally compelling dynamic with Alexis Fishman (Anne Being Frank) in the role of his wife Golde. Her acerbic rebuttals provide a sharp counterbalance to Tevye’s warmth, culminating in a beautifully tender rendition of “Do You Love Me?”. Other notable performances include Freya Boltman (Yiddish Divas) as Tzeitel and newcomer Felix Star as Motel. The former demonstrates considerable range and incredibly powerful vocal capabilities, and the latter brings comic relief along with an endearing youthful quality.

Honouring the long-established themes of Fiddler on the Roof, the show repeatedly oscillates between profound drama and lively set pieces that demonstrate Tevye and his community’s resilience and ability to embrace life’s joys. Although the threat of persecution looms throughout, the tone becomes increasingly revelrous and raucous as things progress. This is compounded by Julia Cheng’s energetic and intentionally rough-around-the-edges choreography, which has an authentic folk-dancing energy that genuinely makes you want to get up and join in.

Highlights include the boisterous barroom number “To Life”, while the chaos and hilarity peak with “Tevye’s Dream”, which is again staged with genius simplicity — a long table and some sheets — with spectacular results that are equal parts surreal and hysterically macabre. And, of course, the famous bottle dance at the wedding delights the audience, who at this point are noticeably vocal and enjoying the merriment.

Tom Scutt’s set is simple yet powerful. The stage itself is a rustic wooden floor, with a handful of tables, chairs, and carts used creatively as needed. The iconic Anatevka aesthetic is beautifully encapsulated by sweeping wheat fields surrounding the performers. Textured, lush, and peppered with red poppies, they provide an instant sense of warmth while simultaneously transporting the audience to rural Russia. Behind a thick row of wheat peeks a small yet robust orchestra — their physical presence adding a jubilant rural barn dance feel. Above the stage is a floating wheat field (often frequented by the fiddler himself). It lowers and lifts throughout the show, creating intimacy at times and a sense of claustrophobic foreboding at others.

Aideen Malone’s lighting complements the expansive wheat fields, floating in and out of warm orange hues and stark white lights that cast dramatic shadows during the more tempestuous scenes. This reaches a notable peak at the end of the first act when the burning fields turn a striking orange-red with smoke seeping onto the stage. Like the rest of the design, it’s simple yet hauntingly effective.

The Verdict

This energetic and punchy revival of Fiddler on the Roof injects humour and warmth into an iconic tale that resonates as much today as it did back in the sixties. It’s an expansive 90-minute first act, followed by a brisk 45-minute second act that flies by. Whether you’re a musical theatre aficionado or brand-new to the medium, it’s a festive night out and a triumphant reminder of why this story continues to move audiences six decades on.