Fiddler On The Roof

9 Dec 2025 - 3 Jan 2026 View Venues, Dates & Times

After winning this year’s Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival, director Jordan Fein’s acclaimed version of Fiddler On The Roof headed out on a national tour and is spending Christmas in Birmingham. 

The show’s story follows Tevye, an impoverished milkman in the tiny village of Anatevka, whose Jewish traditions are challenged and disrupted, both within his family - as his daughters choose husbands - and within his community - as the threat of displacement looms...

First produced for the stage in 1964, Fiddler is best known from its 1971 film incarnation starring Topol in the title role. 

Hit songs include Matchmaker, Matchmaker and the hugely famous If I Were A Rich Man.
“The production is ever-changing, because Tevye contains so many facets,” says Matthew Woodyatt, who plays the character. “It’s a gift - everyone around me is so brilliant. In a glorious way, the show is never quite the same twice. It’s still playful, it’s still alive. New things are being discovered all the time, which is lovely.”

What's On chats to actors Ashleigh Schuman and Susannah Van Den Berg about starring in Fiddler On The Roof at Birmingham theatre The Alexandra.

When Ashleigh Schuman was a student at Birmingham University she would drive past the city’s Alexandra Theatre and wistfully hope that one day she might perform there. And this Christmas her dream has come true as she takes to the stage in the tour of the hit Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production of Fiddler on the Roof.

Ashleigh took philosophy in Birmingham and then went on to study at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London before gaining the role of fourth daughter Shprintze in the musical which comes to the Alex on December 9 to January 3.

The show, which has met with rave reviews, sell-out runs at Regent’s Park and the Barbican, and won three Olivier Awards including Best Musical Revival, features the ever-popular tale of Jewish dairyman Tevye and his five daughters.

As well as playing Shprintze, Ashleigh also takes the role of alternate second daughter Hodel and second cover for third sister Chava. And she is loving the experience.

“I used to drive on that dual carriageway past the theatre and look at the Alexandra whenever I drove into Birmingham and wonder if I would ever perform there. At the time it felt like a faraway dream that I didn’t know would ever happen. And now I’m doing Fiddler on the Roof at the Alex - I’m really excited to be coming back.”

Ashleigh was more than a little familiar with the musical based loosely on tales by Yiddish writer Sholem Aleichem and featuring well-known songs including If I Were a Rich Man, Matchmaker, Tradition and Sunrise, Sunset.

“Growing up in Northwest London in a Jewish family, Fiddler on the Roof was playing every week at my grandparents’ - it was like the soundtrack to my growing up.

“So when I saw it was coming to Regent’s Park my whole family booked tickets, there were about 15 of us. I felt really emotional watching it, being a Jewish actor and seeing a representation of that on stage was something really emotional.

“I remember talking to my mum in the interval and she was like ‘you have to be in this’. I felt really connected to it and thought I would absolutely love to be in it.”

Ashleigh gained her part in the cast for the UK and Ireland tour. And she may have grown up with the musical but the new staging still blew her away.

“I thought it was the most beautiful production of it I had ever seen. I had seen the film hundreds and hundreds of times but this is such a modern take on it.

“I think it has a bit of everything. The first half is hilarious, I was really laughing out loud at that first half and the second half is still funny but it also makes you think.

“You come out having a great time but also it makes you question certain things about what’s going on in the world and thinking and debating and that is exactly what theatre should be for.”

For Stourbridge actor Susannah Van Den Berg, Fiddler on the Roof was also hugely familiar because she was in a tour of the show 12 years ago which also came to the Alex.

“It was the last big tour of the show and I always make a joke that if Fiddler on the Roof comes to Birmingham I have to be in it. I knew the show really well and I know that it’s such a classic musical and a wonderful show.”

But, Susannah says, this production shines new light on the story.

“I think the way the women in particular are presented as modern forthright women who are actively finding a path through their lives and changing the traditions is very modern. Also the pace of this production is brilliant and helps an audience along.

“The band and the new musical arrangements are also an important part of the show. The vast majority of the band are on stage for this which is quite unusual for a musical of this scale. All the instruments are acoustic and it often feels like we have a klezmer band up on stage. The arrangements for this show are classy and so authentic - when we are at the wedding, I feel like I’m really at a Jewish wedding.”

Susannah plays villager Rifka and also covers for matchmaker Yente and Tevye’s wife Golde and she says all the covers have been given ample opportunity to understand their roles.

“We had the chance in the rehearsal room to watch our director Jordan Fein giving notes and going through things with the original leads so we were able to absorb much of that. And they have very much allowed us to bring who we are to the covers. The director wants the piece to be quite authentic and conversational, not a performance imposed on people so we’ve had lots of creative freedom.”

Like Ashleigh, Susannah believes Fiddler on the Roof has much to say to current audiences.

“It’s about a family and universal themes of love and endurance - and unfortunately it’s still relevant today. Whenever a production has been put on, right from the sixties up to today, there has been somebody who is being displaced somewhere in the world so unfortunately there will always be a group of people who it’s relevant to.”

Susannah has performed at both Birmingham Hippodrome and the Alex many times in shows including Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Sister Act and Annie. And returning to the city is always a pleasure.

“I grew up watching shows on those stages and it’s great to be performing where you saw people as a kid. On a personal level I also get to stay with my parents over Christmas and I get to be there for a whole month this time.  We always have a big Christmas do with my mum’s side of the family and I usually miss it - but this year I’m going to make it.”


on Mon, 10 Nov 2025

Fiddler On The Roof is, quite simply, a triumph. A treat for the eyes and for the ears from beginning to end, this compelling, dynamic and poignant show cannot fail to delight. It is surely the ‘must see’ of the season.

The tale tells of Tevye (Matthew Woodyatt), an impoverished milkman living a simple life with his family in a small, close-knit Jewish community in Russia at the beginning of the last century. With five daughters, three of whom are old enough to marry, a major preoccupation for Tevye and his wife Golde (Jodie Jacobs) is to find husbands for their offspring. In a community where tradition counts for everything, their daughters’ rebellious refusal to succumb to their parents’ choice is a source of conflict. And, to add to their woes, their community is living under the threat of expulsion from the village - the only home they have ever known.

Jordan Fein’s revival of Fiddler is proof that a great story can stand the test of time. Set more than a hundred years ago and first on stage in the 1960s, the show’s central theme of a struggle to maintain tradition and to preserve security in a changing world is as relevant today as it was all those years ago.

The Fiddler of the title, perched precariously on the roof, is a reminder of the instability and uncertainty of life. The villagers’ celebrations, singing and dancing reflect their urge to make the most of every day in a situation where nobody knows what tomorrow might bring.

This is a rollercoaster of a show, and there are possibly not enough superlatives to describe how wonderful it is. We are taken on a journey from extreme joy to deep despair, swept along on the waves of emotion on stage. The superb cast work together to create an intense atmosphere, the dance routines are polished and exuberant, and the music and songs are just perfect. Moments of laugh-out-loud comedy contrast with scenes of conflict and melancholy. Stellar performances by the actors and musicians, a fascinating story and a powerful set all combine to create an unforgettable spectacle.

It’s no surprise that this production is the winner of three Olivier Awards and has received dozens of rave reviews. Anyone who doesn’t bag a ticket to see it across Christmas is most definitely missing out.

Five stars

Fiddler On The Roof was reviewed by Rachel Smith on Tuesday 9 December at Birmingham theatre The Alexandra, where it runs until Saturday 3 January


5 Stars on Mon, 22 Dec 2025

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