Fiddler on the Roof

Go to any site to check out tickets for Fiddler on the Roof and they say...it's unanimous - London loves Fiddler on the Roof at the Savoy Theatre!

And why wouldn't they...its brilliant...witty, humorous and at the same time tugging at your heart strings...as it inevitably reminds us of the unsettling and troubling times that were to follow...

Based in a small Jewish village in Southern Russia...it is the story of Tevye, a poor milkman who has 5 daughters whom he would like to see married off in propahhhhh Jewish tradition... the opening song Tradition is full of spirit and has you tapping and nodding...

But revolution is in the air and his daughters want to break away from the tradition of the match maker finding them a match and opting to marry for love rather than on the whims of their parents...

But before that we have the beautiful rendition of the song...Match maker, match maker, make me match ... at the end of which they realise that they don’t really want the matchmaker to find them a match!!!

Henry Goodman is excellent...even sitting in the last row...one can see the smile and twinkle in his eye when he cheekily "chats" with god...its as if God is his friendly neighbour...he personifies innocence, vulnerability, good heartedness, dreaminess...His rendition of If I Were a Rich Man is remarkable...

2 of his dialogues left a lasting impression on me...they suggest the pain and suffering of Jewish people through the ages, as well as their wonderfully resilient humour.
One when he questions God “I know we are the Chosen People, but once in a while, can't you choose someone else?"
And when they are asked to vacate the village by the tsar, he says ...It reminds me of all the times that our forefathers had to leave their homes...no wonder we never take of our hats...

The hilarious Dream Scene...He can’t just tell his wife that daughter no 1 wants to marry the poor tailor rather than the rich butcher...is full PAISA WASOOL!!!

Daughter no 3 elopes and marries outside the Jewish community...the scene showing his dilemma at that point of time is touching and emotive...

In the wedding sequence a special applause should go to the bottle dancers...i wonder if the bottles were empty though???

"Do You Love Me?" ... Tevye asks his wife after 25 years of marriage...she is totally flabbergasted...really cute song...

And finally, as the tight-knit family is scattered across the world it's sad, poignant yet hopeful...