"Fiddler On The Roof" by Beeston Musical Theatre Group.

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

The show is set in Tsarist Russia in 1905 and is based on the story of Tevye the Milkman by Sholem Aleichem.

The story follows father of five Tevye as he tries to uphold tradition in an ever changing political and social landscape. During a period of change for Russian Jews, the family learn to cope with the decline of Tsarist Russia and the tough laws enforced on the family and the village of Anatevka.

This much loved and often performed musical includes many musical theatre classics such as “Matchmaker Matchmaker”, “If I Were A Rich Man”, “Sunrise Sunset”, “Tradition” and the tentative “Do You Love Me” and the melancholy "Far From The Home I Love".

I will admit from the off that this is one of my favourite musicals, not only for the wonderful soundtrack but also for the story that is told, still so relevant today. With this production, what also makes it so good is the quality of the actors and their supreme acting. 

Adam Guest plays Tevye, the milkman, narrator, Father to his five daughters and Husband to Golde. I know Adam well enough to know that when he gets a role, he researches the hell out of the role to make that role as perfect as he can make it. He is the perfect casting, everything from the look to the accent to the voice - tick, tick, tick and boom, he nails it and presents the perfect Tevye. He is subtle with the comedy lines, of which there are many, and he also brings the sensitivity and the love for his daughters, as well as Golde.

This cast list is like a Who's Who of local actors and playing Golde is Sandy C Lane; an actor who I admire greatly. Adam and Sandy together create such a chemistry together. they show the hard-working side of the family, looking after their children, not making time for each other and rolling on as all families with children do. When it comes to "Do You Love Me", it comes across very natural between the pair because you can see the love between these two characters. Sandy is excellent in every aspect of this part; the accent is amazingly good. Perfect casting.

Tzeitel, the eldest daughter is played by yet another actor who gives everything to every role she takes on, Cibele Alvarenga. You forget just what a big role this is for an actor. There are some wonderfully emotional parts with Tzeitel and some great fun parts, highlighted in the song "Matchmaker Matchmaker" when the fun older sister is teasing her younger siblings.

Marie Nelson is Hodel, and Marie makes her debut with Beeston Musical Theatre Group in this role. Like Tzeitel, Hodel represents the changing attitudes of marriage and young women plus breaking with tradition as Hodel chooses to marry Perchik without going through a Matchmaker or The Poppa!

Esther White plays Chava. There are so many important female roles in this play; roles that marked the change for women, and Chava, albeit not as forefront as some, shows a willingness to go against tradition in more than one way. Another passionate performance from Esther.

Evie Evans is Shprintze, the fourth eldest daughter. Evie is another first timer with Beeston Musical Theatre Group.

Naomi Batley plays Bielke, the youngest daughter who, like the others takes lessons from Perchik.

Maria Lawrence plays Yente, the resident Anatevka Matchmaker. Another fantastic role because of the character and humour which suits Maria so well.

Jake Gelernter is Motel, the Tailor, who Tzeitel is in love with; between them they force Tevye's hand regarding arranged marriages. I've known Jake for a while now and have seen his progression as an actor, creating a CV full of wonderful roles. This role is one that I'm sure he will remember for a long time due to his lineage. Needless to say, Jake's acting skills are second to none and this role was made for an actor of his talents, clearly showing the nervousness of the down to earth Tailor and then the growth of Motel's confidence.

Graham Buchanan is Lazar Wolf. Another actor who can play any character, I'm convinced of that. At first, I didn't even recognise him on stage with the beard he grew for the part. The scene with Lazar Wolf and Tevye in the saloon where the pair are discussing the reason for the meeting is wonderfully comic culminating in a brilliantly vibrant version of "To Life".

Harvey Latter plays Perchik, the student who arrives in Anatevka, lodges with Tevye's family, teaching the daughters, and eventually falls for Hodel. Harvey is another actor who is a boon to any show and has racked up several shows in the recent past; every role different to the last, showing what a flexible actor he is.

Lu Anthony plays Fyedka, a Russian soldier who falls in love with one of Tevye's daughters, bypassing his own military obligations in doing so. Let's just say that Tevye is not impressed with his daughter falling for a Russian and there are fireworks! Lu is also responsible for the brilliant choreography in this show, and I was really surprised when they told me that this was their first choreographic role, as I know them to be a very talented dancer. They absolutely smashed both acting and choreographic roles.

There's a scene which is one of the comedy highlights for me when Tevye has to break some news to Golde in a bedroom scene regarding a slight change of plan and to do this Tevye introduces a dream sequence involving Grandma Tzeitel. Now some cameo roles can be forgotten but this particular one is a standout section for me. Charlotte Drewett plays Grandma with great gusto, and just how long is that train she has following her?

Other actors and roles are as follows.....

Philippa Buchanan (Mordcha), William Howarth (Rabbi), Andy Bulmer (Mendel), Paul Mills (Arram), David Artiss (Nachum), Emily Owen (Fruma Sarah), John Hand (Constable), Ruth Maddison (Shaindel) and Joy Gravestock as The Fiddler; who actually played the instrument. I've seen productions where The Fiddler mimed but this was the real thing.

The ensemble and dancers consisted of Chris Bryan, Alice Cammell, Jane Cottee, Maisie Cutts, Amelia Delbridge, Sarah Dunbavand, Daisy Forster, Arran Mackay, Rebecca Noall and Christine Walton.

Directed by Beth Yearsley, assisted by John Hand. This is one show that you do not attempt half-heartedly, and I know Beth as a Director, so straight away, I knew this was going to be a big production, because I know Beth's skills in this field. A mammoth of a show, but not too big for Beth Yearsley who ticked every box here as the Director I think the phrase "smashed it out of the ball park" just about sums it up!

Choreographed by Lu Anthony, as previously noted, and with a musical of this proportion, this is no easy task, but what a cracking job they do of the choreography for "Fiddler". A lot of hard work, as well as research I imagine, to bring the cultural dances alive, not to mention "The Bottle Dance"

Musical Director is Charlotte Howarth, and what can I say when I have used so many superlatives for everyone else. You could feel the heritage and culture through the music, which is what makes a musical like this such a treat to see and hear. Absolutely nailed every aspect of the musical side, from Adam's incredible version of "If I Were A Rich Man", which gave me tingles, as did "Far From The Home I Love", sung by Marie and the hauntingly gorgeous "Sabbath Prayer" - a song that is often missed out when listing fine and memorable songs from this soundtrack.

Lighting Production is by Dave Martin. There are sections where Tevye freezes the moment to address God, and the fourth wall, and the split-second timing switch was on the money every single time. Top class lighting throughout.

Sound Production by Dave Dallard and the mix between orchestra and vocals were of a professional standard; I could hear every word sung and spoken, floating on top of the lush eleven-piece orchestra.

The Set Design by Beth Yearsley made you want to take a look over the fence to where the trees were growing, just to be nosey.

Loved the costumes for everyone, giving you a feel for the individual and their "worth" if you like in their country. the Designs were by Jocelyn Needham and managed by Mina Holtom, which with the number of bodies involved was no easy task, but she does it so well.

And finally an area that I don't mention often enough for credit is the stage crew, making sure everything that should be on stage, is on stage and where it should be, among many other tasks that they smoothly do; Sky Marsden, Sophie Slater-Evans, Mark Gittens and Katie Bird - who also managed all of the props.

Proving that local theatre productions are as good as, if not better in some cases, than professional touring productions. And that is why this week for BMTG they sold out of tickets three weeks ago. A testament to the quality you can expect from this group of local stars.

What more can I say? I'm biased because I love this musical, I love the message within the musical and the cast are ridiculously talented.

"Fiddler On The Roof" is at The Duchess Theatre until Saturday 27 May.