Liverpool Empire date for Fiddler on the Roof tour

Fiddler on the Roof comes to the Liverpool Empire next month as part of a national tour.

The multi-Olivier Award-winning Regents Park Open Air Theatre production is set to be staged at the Lime Street venue from September 23 to 27.

It is the first UK tour of the classic musical in more than 12 years – offering Liverpool audiences what is widely considered to be a musical masterpiece in an acclaimed new production, and arrives direct from London’s Barbican where it was described as being “told with unusual intensity of feeling and a revelatory attention to detail”.

Fiddler on the Roof isn’t often seen on stage in the city.

An intimate production was presented by the Liverpool Everyman Rep company in its inaugural 2017 season, and before that one of the last versions of the musical seen on a city stage was at the Empire in Capital of Culture year when Joe McGann played Tevye.

It’s 1905 in the tiny village of Anatevka where Tevye, a Jewish milkman, lives his life by their proud traditions. For his five daughters, that means a visit from the matchmaker.

As each daughter challenges his beliefs, against the backdrop of a changing world, can Tevye hold on to his roots, or must he bend to the will of his children and learn to embrace the unfamiliar?

Above and top: Fiddler on the Roof. Photos by Marc Brenner.

Speaking to theatre writer Matt Wolf, actor Matthew Woodyatt, who plays Tevye in the touring production, describes the character as “such a glorious role. He contains multitudes, really – anger and love and wit and silliness.”

He adds: “Tevye’s relationship with God is directed out front to the audience, which gives you a window to his soul. I would say I feel an elated exhaustion by the end.”

Woodyatt previously understudied Omid Djalili who played Tevye in the 2017 Chichester production, although never went on.

But his awareness of the musical goes back much further than that, to when he was a child growing up in the Welsh valleys. He recalls: “One of the first things I went to see when I was nine or 10 was Fiddler at our local theatre, and I think the husband of my infant school headmistress was playing Tevye.”

Meanwhile Beverley Klein, the production’s Olivier-nominated Yente, previously worked with director Jordan Fein on the ongoing West End revival of Cabaret before taking the decision to join a show she knows so well, having twice previously appeared as Golde.

Above: Fiddler on the Roof. Photo by Marc Brenner.

“I do think this is a piece of genius,” she says of Fiddler, in which her gossipmongering matchmaker gains many of the show’s laughs. “The juxtaposition between serious matter and the musical form is balanced in such an incredible way, and there’s not a wasted line. [Joseph Stein’s] book is as good as it gets.”

She adds: “I’ve been working for 45 years and seem to have done a different Fiddler once every decade. Now I’ve dwindled into Yente, but I don’t feel it’s a dwindling. If you don’t want to work with Jordan Fein, there’s something wrong with you; this feels like bliss.”

Producer Howard Panter says when he first saw the current production he was “immediately blown away.”

He adds: “I'm delighted – with our partners – to bring this masterpiece on tour for what will be one of the major cultural highlights of the year. It was completely sold out during its Regent’s Park run, so this new production will give many more people the chance to see musical theatre at its very best.”

Fiddler on the Roof comes to the Liverpool Empire from September 23-27. Tickets HERE