Topol’s granddaughter in Fiddler on the Roof
A revival of the beloved musical with a largely Jewish cast also embraces the legacy of the Israeli star
Brigit Grant is the Jewish News Supplements Editor
Most have already secured their tickets to see Fiddler On The Roof at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. Not even the rain drenched summer can dampen the community’s enthusiasm for the show and almost everyone is heading to the park to see Jordan Fein’s vision of Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick’s beloved Jewish musical.
Of course it is Chaim Topol we think of first whenever Fiddler is mentioned, as the actor who died in March 2023, embodied Tevye the milkman on stage and in the 1973 film directed by Norman Jewison who died in January.
All of this makes the appearance of Darya Topol Margalith in Fein’s production more moving and significant as the Brit school graduate will be making her professional stage debut as Tevye and Golde’s fourth daughter Schprintze.
Director Jordan Fein together with Daniel Fish won a Tony for his revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! which critics described as a ‘bold reimagining’ without changing a word of text or its intentions. By achieving his goal of honouring and intensifying the drama in the Oklahoma! revival on Broadway, the London, there are high hopes for Fiddler in the park with a cast that includes Jewish American star Adam Dannheisser as Tevye, Lara Pulver as Golde and dance legend Greg Bernstein as Mendel the rabbi’s son.
In the tangled debate of like for like,this production has a largely Jewish cast with Daniel Krikler playing Perchik, Beverley Klein as Yente and Liv Andrusier as Tzeitel. On hearing about the new production in London, Rosalind Harris who played oldest daughter Tzeitel in the film and Golde on stage with Topol on the US tour in 1993; sent her best wishes to the cast and stressed the show’s message of unity in the face of chaos.
This message will have been poignant for Darya Topol Margalith as she knows the history of Fiddler on the Roof better than most as her mother Adi played Chava alongside Chaim Topol in the 1994 revival at the Palladium.
Adi fondly remembers the nightly ritual of being shouted at by her father for marrying Russian Fyedka, then thhuge hug from her dad after the show. Always at his happiest when he was with his family, Topol also encouraged them to perform and Yali Topol Margalith, Darya’s older sister has talked about how much she wanted her grandfather to see her in the recently released The Tattooist of Auschwitz on Sky.
“I’m sad he won’t see all that I’m doing and will do,” said Yali now starring in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder on BBC iplayer “Grandpa was the first person in the world to take me seriously as an actress. He watched all my performances and told me, ‘Sweetheart, you’re an actress. This is your calling.’ Be sure to take tissues to the park.
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