REVIEW: “Tradition!” roars Tevye as Fiddler on the Roof returns to Manchester

With heart, humour and haunting clarity, the Palace Theatre’s revival of Fiddler on the Roof is more than a musical, it’s a mirror held up to history and today’s world.

Tevye’s booming cry of “Tradition!” sets the tone for a show that blends fierce loyalty to heritage with the heartbreak of necessary change. Back in Manchester for a limited run until 1 November, this production of Fiddler on the Roof, directed by Jordan Fein, feels as sharp and timely as ever.

Set in a Jewish village near Kyiv in 1905, the story follows Tevye, a poor but proud dairy farmer with five daughters and a belief that God, customs and marriage brokers should decide their future. Life, however, has other ideas.

As his daughters begin choosing their own paths, and their own husbands, Tevye is forced to balance love for his family against his deep-rooted faith and community values. At the same time, whispers of violence from the Russian Tsar grow louder, and the villagers begin to realise that holding on to tradition won’t protect them from being forced out of their homes.

Matthew Woodyatt brings gravitas and wit to Tevye, treading a fresh path away from previous iconic portrayals. Jodie Jacobs (Golde) is dryly humorous as his long-suffering wife, while Beverley Klein is a comic delight as Yente, the meddling matchmaker.

Yet it’s the daughters, Tzeitel (Natasha Jules Bernard), Hodel (Georgia Bruce) and Chava (Hannah Bristow), who deliver some of the most moving performances, particularly as they navigate love, resistance and the limits of parental control. Their scenes are subtly done, though some love stories feel underdeveloped, relying on the audience to fill in emotional blanks.

Choreography by Julia Cheng brings astonishing precision to the stage, blending joy and sorrow into every stomp and spin. Highlights include a gentle, wordless dance between Chava and the fiddler, played beautifully and sorrowfully throughout.

Musically, the show remains a triumph. Songs like If I Were a Rich Man, Matchmaker and Sunrise, Sunset are executed with vocal strength and emotional nuance under the musical direction of Dan Turek. There is laughter, too, with standout comic timing from supporting characters and clever moments of levity in the dialogue.

But beneath the singing and dancing lies a dark current. The eventual forced exile of the village is delivered with quiet devastation, a moment made all the more powerful for how eerily it echoes global displacement today. As families say where they will go, America, Poland, “somewhere safe”, the heartbreak lands heavy, especially in a world where many fleeing violence are refused safe haven.

Elsewhere, the show’s gender politics feel dated, but uncomfortably so. In one scene, Tevye asks Golde if she loves him. Her reply, a practical list of chores and sacrifices, ends with: “If this is love, I suppose I do.” It’s funny, but it’s also a stark reminder of a woman without choices.

The use of British regional accents rather than Russian ones may jar at first, but it creates an almost universal tone, this is a story not just about one place or time, but about any marginalised group, anywhere, holding onto identity while the world shifts beneath them.

Get your tickets from ATG here: Fiddler on the Roof Tickets | Palace Theatre Manchester in Manchester | ATG Tickets