Fiddler on the Roof – Sunderland Empire

Book: Joseph Stein

Music: Jerry Bock

Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick

The iconic musical Fiddler on the Roof is brought to life this week at the Sunderland Empire Theatre. It is based on short stories about Tevye and his three daughters by Sholem Rabinowitz. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1964 and then transferred to the West End in 1967. This is a timeless classic written more than 60 years ago and set 120 years ago.

The musical was written by Joseph Stein with music and lyrics by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick respectively. This new production is directed by Jordan Fein. The story depicts the life of Tevye (Matthew Woodyatt), his wife Golde (Jodie Jacobs) and his five daughters. Tevye is a Jewish milkman living in a small village, Anatevka, in Ukraine.

As the curtain rises we are taken to a vast grain field with The Fiddler, amongst the grain, playing a melancholy tune. Ukraine is known as ‘the bread basket of Europe’ therefore this setting (designer Tom Scott) is very apt. The field then slowly raises to reveal the villagers of Anatevka underneath. The Fiddler plays throughout this transformation and remains an integral part of the production.

Tevye is a strong father figure who works hard as a Milkman and a man keen to show that tradition is very important to his way of life. This is a running theme throughout. Tradition, tradition, tradition is Tevye’s battle cry. His daughters however have different ideas and want to move on from the Jewish traditions to form a life in their own way. His wife Golde is resigned to the conflicts and confrontations between her husband and daughters. Who will win this struggle between a stern father and head strong daughters? Three of the daughters’ stories drive the narrative. There is also an ominous presence of Russians thus creating tension throughout.

The setting of an open stage, with the grainfields along the back wall housing a live orchestra., create the vast area needed for the large cast and lively dance routines.

Act One is 90 minutes long and is full of vigour. All the iconic songs are there – If I were a Rich Man, Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Tradition, Sunrise Sunset – all powerfully rendered by Woodyatt and the cast. Woodyatt has a strong, powerful voice which is ideal for this commanding role. Jacobs’ vocals too are impressive and together they make a perfect match. The chemistry between them is clearly shown. The duet Do You Love Me? was masterful and a joy to watch.

Strong performances too come from the three daughters, Tzeitel (Natasha Jules Bernard), Chava (Hannah Bristow) and Hodel (Georgia Bruce). Their determination to steer away from the tradition of finding husbands through a Matchmaker creates many tense and amusing moments. The Matchmaker (Beverley Klein) brings plenty of humorous moments as she plots and schemes to bring together some very unsuitable matches.

Julia Cheng’s choreography has created some wonderful, energetic dance sequences. In particular the skillful bottle dance and the lively Cossack dancing.

There were some puzzling elements however to this wonderful show. The numerous chairs were not in keeping with village chairs of that era – they were too modern. The ballet sequence is omitted and replaced with a musical duet between the Fiddler (Raphael Papo) and Chava playing clarinet – this reviewer wonders why.

Overall Fiddler on the Roof is a show about tradition, values, family, love and heart breaking moments in life. These heartbreaking moments happen as the show reaches it’s climax leaving you with thoughts and comparisons of what is happening in our world today, especially in modern day Ukraine.

This joyous, funny, moving show is one not to be missed. A visit to Sunderland Empire is a must so shout it from the rooftops for the Fiddler.

Runs until Saturday 29 November 2025