Since its Broadway debut in 1964, Fiddler on the Roof has become one of the 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.
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 duet with a clarinettist, replaces the Chavaleh ballet.
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.
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.
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.
Fiddler on the Roof
Theatre Royal, 108 King Street, Sydney
Performance: Saturday 8 August 2026
Season continues to 3 October 2026
Bookings: www.theatreroyalsydney.com
Following the Sydney season, Fiddler on the Roof will play the Glasshouse Theatre – QPAC, Brisbane, from 9 October, Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne, from 31 October 2026, and His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth, from 7 January 2027. For more information, visit: www.fiddlerontherooftour.com for details.
Images: The Company of Fiddler on the Roof – photo by Daniel Boud | Troy Sussman as Tevye – photo by Daniel Boud | John Waters as Lazar Wolf and Cast of Fiddler on the Roof – photo by Daniel Boud | Alexis Fishman as Golde and Troy Sussman as Tevye – photo by Daniel Boud
Review: Bill Stephens OAM