Fiddler On The Roof at Wycombe Swan Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Mel Randle
Last night my daughter (9) and I went to the Wycombe Swan in High Wycombe to see the current touring production of Fiddler On The Roof. I am a big musicals fan but I am ashamed to say this is not one I have ever seen. I know the song ‘If I Were A Rich Man’ comes from it but that is as far as my knowledge goes so I was looking forward to seeing if I had been denying myself a good one all these years!
The plot is based on a short story by Sholem Aleichem written around the turn of the 20th century and was adapted for stage in 1964 before hitting the big screen with a movie in 1971. It centres around Jewish Dairyman Tevye and his quest to marry off his three eldest of five daughters in Imperial Russia around 1905, maintaining traditions of his faith when attitudes were changing to arranged marriages and persecution of Jews was heightening. The show highlights and challenges religious, political and personal issues prevalent at the time but still relevant today.
Despite what sounds like a very heavy subject, the show was actually very enjoyable and very funny throughout but very respectful when necessary. I found the plot easy to follow, as did my daughter in the main, and a really strong cast of many delivered uncanny performances as Russian Jews. No one performance stood out to me because they were all brilliant but my big shout out for the night goes to Dan Wolff as Motel, the bumbling buffoon fighting for the hand of Tevye’s eldest daughter.
The set was constant throughout. A wall of corn lined the stage with a canopy of corn overhead setting the scene at the beginning as the roof with the fiddler on it. Everybody was dressed in traditional Russian clothing with head coverings and shawls, and initially the whole production seemed very ‘beige’. Musicals are, in norm, very vibrant and colourful and this just had a different feel to it. What I realised after a while is that it made the characters themselves shine because we weren’t distracted by all the glitzy bits. I was completely absorbed by each and every story and didn’t need bling to carry me along. I was really quite sad when the show ended.
The stand out for me was the music and dancing. With the orchestra live on stage at the rear, it had an unmistakeable Russian beat which you don’t realise you are familiar with until it starts! The traditional dancing complete with Kazotsky kicks looked exhausting but the cast made it look easy. I can see why this is an award winning show!
I enjoyed every minute and I came away from the show feeling uplifted but pensive. I don’t believe there is an age recommendation and my daughter loved it, plus it gave us the opportunity to discuss a few difficult subjects raised on the way home. I highly recommend this show to anyone and now I’m off to seek out the movie version so I can enjoy it all over again!
Rating: 5/5
Fiddler On The Roof is showing at Wycombe Swan until Saturday 20th September 2025
Ticket Prices £25-£73 A transaction fee of up to £3.95 may apply.
For more information and to book, visit trafalgartickets.com