IT'S generally the case that any review which starts with a comment about the set is only heading in one direction.

However, it is the exception that proves the rule and despite loving the Chagall inspired set, which praise the Lord for once fitted the Borough Theatre stage, didn't appear to be made of cardboard and was beautifully lit to boot, I also thought the show itself was pretty damn good.

It's obvious that the creative team headed by Ken Caswell and Sarah Fowler has breathed new life life into this talented company which appears to be firmly back on course after an unpredictable few years.

Fiddler on the Roof is never an easy show to tackle - lean too far in one direction and it becomes a stereotypical Jewish comedy of errors, too far in the other and it descends into a mauldin pit of misery. 

Thankfully Ken Caswell's direction kept a firm hand on the tiller and the pathos was never allowed to slip into over sentimentality and the humour never allowed to go over the top.

Of course, the show rides or falls on its Tevye and in the central role Rob Jenkins - whose own production of Fiddler was a previous AAODS success - once again proved his value to any company in a less overtly comic role than he is usually known for.

Warm and likeable his Tevye carried the show reducing the audience to laughter and tears in equal measure and led the superb chorus in centrepiece numbers like Tradition which started the proceedings in impressive style, and Sunrise, Sunset.

Playing opposite him in the role of Golde was another AAODS stalwart Jane Lewis, who again delighted, with her warm portrayal of the hardworking mother putting the audience at ease.

The second act duet Do You Love Me, which Golde shares with Tevye is surely one of the best 'love' songs ever written and in their hands was a true delight.

As their five daughters Alicea Woods, Chelsea Viveash, Rhiannon Munro, Molly Crombie and Amy Price completed the family group with the older girls' version of Matchmaker delighting the audience and Chelsea Viveash's Far From the Home I Love an undoubted highlight of the production.

Other good performances came from Patrick Callaghan as Motel, Andrew Fowler as Perchik and Tom Mogford as Fydeka, Brenda Maloney as Yenta, Barrie Jackson as the Rabbi, Daniel O'Connor as Mendel and John Bannon as Lazar Wolf.

As always with AAODS, chorus work was excellent and as much as I'm a sucker for a good set, I love nothing better than a good old show-stopper and the outstanding Tim Burton-esque dream sequence featuring Lesley Grubb as Fruma-Sarah atop a kind of superannuated Tesco trolley was in itself worth the price of a ticket.

Superbly choreographed and sung it was one of the those rare moments when you get goosebumps and full credit is due to the cast for pulling it off.

Of course no production is without its faults and this was no exception. While the first night was undoubtedly one of the best Monday nights I can remember in a long while, there were moments when production won out over performance and as a result things seemed a little stilted, restrained and lacking in life, some attention to detail was lacking and oy vey those accents... but then again as Tevye might have said " az di ken nit tantsen, zogt zi az di klezmorim kenen nit shpilen*.

*The girl who can't dance says the band can't play