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| Troy Sussman as Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof" |
Book by Joseph Stein – Music by Jerry Bock – Lyrics by
Sheldon Harnick
Directed by Jordan Fein – Resident Director: Gary Abrahams
Choreographed by Julia Cheng – Resident Choreographer:
Christopher Tendai
Designed by Tom Scutt – Musical Director: Dominic Woodhead
Lighting Design by Aideen Malone – Sound Design by Nick
Lidster
Presented by Trafalgar Theatre Productions, Regent’s Park
Open Air Theatre and Brian and Dayna Lee. Theatre Royal, Sydney, until 3 October
2026.
Matinee performance on 8 August 2026, reviewed by BILL STEPHENS
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| A moment in "Fiddler on the Roof" |
Since its Broadway debut in 1964, “Fiddler on the Roof” has
become one of Broadway’s most beloved musicals. Australian audiences first fell
in love with Tevye, his wife Golde and their five daughters in 1967, when Hayes
Gordon made an indelible impression as Tevye in the first Australian
production.
Since then, Australia has seen many professional and amateur
productions, and many memorable Tevyes, most modelled on the Hayes Gordon
template.
I had my own opportunity to direct a production in 1978,
with Australian Opera baritone Ronald Maconaghie in the role.
Much has changed since then, particularly in Australia,
making the story feel more relevant, and more prescient, than ever. That
relevance stirred an unfamiliar unease as the theatre’s fire curtain remained
down five minutes after the advertised start time.
The unease began to lift when the curtain finally rose on a
lone fiddler playing a plaintive melody. As the platform beneath him slowly
rose and the villagers filled the stage to the stirring strains of “Tradition”,
the effect was so visceral that tears streamed down my face.
Not tears of sadness, but of joy. Jordan Fein’s staging may
be fresh and inventive, yet the resilient mamas, papas, sons and daughters of
Anatevka remain as inspiring as ever, proudly declaring their roles and the
traditions they follow.
Troy Sussman quickly weaves his magic and establishes
himself as a memorable Tevye, the village milkman and elder, stoically facing
life’s travails, including a lame horse, a long-suffering wife and five dependent
daughters.
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| Troy Sussman as Tevye - Ben Adler as The Fiddler perform "If I Were a Rich Man" |
Here, Tevye’s marvellous conversation with his maker, “If I Were a Rich Man”, is compromised by the fiddler’s presence. By directing many of the lyrics towards him, as though he were another villager rather than a cipher for Tevye’s attitude to life, the song loses the privacy of Tevye’s special relationship.
The fiddler is far more prominent in this production, and
when he is played with Ben Adler’s virtuosity, it would be a pity not to use
him. Yet twice his presence feels intrusive, here, and in Act Two, when his instrumental
duo with a clarinettist replaces the “Chavaleh” ballet.
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| Alexis Fishman as Golde and Troy Sussman as Tevye perform "Do You Love Me?" |
Heartfelt performances abound. Alexis Fishman captures Golde’s irascibility while radiating maternal warmth; her “Do You Love Me?” duet with Tevye is a joy.
John Waters brings heft and exuberance to Lazar Wolf, the
village butcher, particularly in the spectacular “To Life”, for which
choreographer Julia Cheng gives the excellent male dancers a vigorous workout.
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| John Waters as Lazar Wolf and villagers perform "To Life". |
Despite the brilliance of Cheng’s work elsewhere, the
original Jerome Robbins choreography is retained for the celebrated “Bottle
Dance” in the wedding scene. Brilliantly executed by this cast, it remains a
production highlight.
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| Ellen Ebbs as Hodel - Freya Boltman as Tzietel - Caity Plummer as Chava perform "Matchmaker, Matchmaker". |
Astute casting allows each of Tevye’s daughters to register as an individual. Freya Boltman is a charmingly determined Tzeitel, the first to test her father’s resolve by persuading him to break tradition and permit her marriage to Felix Star’s delightfully eccentric tailor, Motel.
Ellen Ebbs is entirely believable as Hodel, Tevye’s second
daughter, who loses her heart to the revolutionary tutor Perchik, played by
Maxwell Simon. Their duet, “Now I Have Everything”, following Tevye’s second
capitulation, receives an exuberant staging that contrasts with Hodel’s later, heart-wrenching
farewell, “Far from the Home I Love”.
It is Chava, his third and favourite daughter, beguilingly
played by Caity Plummer, who pushes Tevye to the brink. Her love for Jacob
Steen’s young Russian, Fyedka, forces him to choose between religion, tradition
and his daughter.
At this performance, Danielle Barnes played the village
matchmaker Yente in Sigrid Thornton’s absence. Damien Bermingham, who
understudies both Tevye and Lazar Wolf, brought a strong presence to Avram in a
cast distinguished by individuality and commitment.
Conceived for Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Tom Scutt’s
minimalist design consists of an open stage surrounded by sheaves of wheat and
relies on Aideen Malone’s evocative lighting for atmosphere and visual interest.
Tables, chairs and essential props are carried on and off by cast members, who
sit around the stage’s perimeter as observers. This approach keeps the focus firmly
on Anatevka’s residents.
It also showcases Fein’s inventive staging, especially his remarkable
re-staging of the nightmare, as well as wedding and pogrom scenes.
Yet because the sparse design offers few clues about what
the villagers are leaving behind, the final scene, when they sing of their
longing for Anatevka while gathering their meagre possessions, loses some of
its impact.
Quibbles aside, this joyous, exuberantly performed reimagining
of a superbly written musical, with its life-affirming story of family, perseverance
and tradition, is a theatrical experience not to be missed.
Photos by Daniel Boud.
This review also published in AUSTRALIAN ARTS REVIEW. Link here
