Fiddler on the Roof

This was a splendid staging of this classic 1960’s musical with thought given to effective groupings of the large chorus. There is plenty of humour to be found in the story and every bit of it was extracted much to the delight of the audience.

Central to the whole story is Tevye superbly played by Darrell Burns whose acting and singing skills could not be faulted. He was well matched by Sarah Mitchell as his wife, Golde, who left the audience in no doubt that despite Tevye’s bluster she was the boss of the household. They had some humorous banter together but also some touching moments particularly in the song ‘Do You Love Me?’. The pairings of the three older daughters Tzeitel (Jess Hyson), Hodel (Ellen Nicholls) and Chava (Sammi Thomas) with their prospective husbands Motel (Andy Nicholls), Perchik (Aaron Inman) and Fyedka (Leo Wright) worked really well as all three pairs sang and acted together with conviction. There was a powerful performance from Roger Thackham as the irascible butcher Lazar Wolf whilst Charlotte Chambers as his late wife, Fruma-Sarah, made the tricky dream sequence seem like a stroll in the park even though she performed it on stilts so towering over everyone. Sharron Burns kept the audience amused by her portrayal of Yente the busy - bodying matchmaker and Geoff Tunnicliffe was suitably sinister as the Constable. As always with such a production several members of the company played important parts in telling the story with Jaime Bilson having the unenviable task of climbing onto the roof of the house to play his violin. There was well executed dancing throughout but I must compliment the men on the range of skills shown in the ‘Wedding Dance’ and coupled with this the choreographers in devising this and all the other routines. The singing by the chorus and principals was strong and confident throughout the performance.

The scene changes were smooth and efficient often using cast members to supplement the stage crew, the set and costumes were well lit and there was an excellent balance between the stage performances and the large and very supportive orchestra under the direction of Sharon Guy.

Well done to everyone concerned and the reaction of the audience should tell everything about the evening’s entertainment!

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.