FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (1994)

The Daily Telegraph by Charles Spencer (July, 1994)

After giving an estimated 1,500 performances as Tevye the milkman in Filddler On The Roof, you might have thought that Topol would be thoroughly sick of the part by now.

But, if he is, there was absolutely no sign of it in the welcome revival of the musical that opened last night as the London Palladium.

It is admirable just how far Joseph Stein's book, based on the yiddish stories of Sholom Aleichem, is prepared to go. Though often sentimnetal, there are also moments of real pain here, most notably in the heart-breaking scene when Tevye refuses to acknowledge or bless the child who has married out of faith to Fyedka, the Russian poet farm worker, powerfully played by Kieran Creggan; the fact that she is played, extremely movingly, by Topol's own daughter, Adi Topol-Margalith, adds greatly to the pathos.

--------------------

Sunday Express by Clive Hirschhorn (July 3, 1994)

This gloriously entertaining life-enhancing show remains as original today as it was when I first saw it in 1964. Since making his West End debut in 1967 as the poor, put-upon milkman Teyve, Topol has finally acquired the gravitas the role requires.

Apart from a tendency to indulge in some Goon-like funny voices, his starry, domination presence provides the perfect anchor for this perfect musical.

The rest of the cast, including Sara Kestelman as Tevye's wife Golde, Adi Topol-Margalith as his daughter Chava (Topol's daughter in real life, too), and Kieran Creggan as Fyedka her Russian husband, look suitably ethnic and perform with the confidence inspired by a classic.