Lindsay Posner's production recently garnered Olivier nominations for Best Musical Revival and Best Actor in a Musical for Goodman's performance.

The Joseph Stein (book), Sheldon Harnick (lyrics) and Jerry Bock (music) musical transferred from Sheffield's Crucible — where it opened in December 2006 — to London's Savoy Theatre on May 19, 2007.

The producers had previously intended to extend the London run until April 26, but the show's spokesperson told Playbill.com that when Goodman's contract finished on Feb. 16, it had been decided not to replace him.

Stein based his book on the Sholom Aleichem stories. Jerome Robbins' original production, starring Zero Mostel, opened Sept. 22, 1964, at the Imperial Theatre, won nine 1965 Tony Awards and following previews played 3,242 performances.

Goodman's stage credits include Billy Flynn in Chicago; Shylock in the National's production of The Merchant of Venice; and an Olivier-winning performance in Sam Mendes' 1992 Donmar production of Assasins. Posner previously directed the actor in The Birthday Party and in the title role of The Hypochondriac at the Almeida. Goodman was also famously the victim of one of musical theatre's most brutal sackings when Mel Brooks fired him from the The Producers just before the New York critics were due to check out his Max Bialystock.

Posner's previous West End productions include a revival of Sam Shepard's Fool for Love starring Juliette Lewis. Other credits include a string of Mamet plays: Oleanna(starring Aaron Eckhart and Julia Stiles), A Life in the Theatre (with Patrick Stewart and Joshua Jackson), Sexual Perversity in Chicago (with Matthew Perry, Minnie Driver and Hank Azaria) and more recently Mamet's farce Romance, with "Frasier" star John Mahoney.

Fiddler will be replaced at the Savoy Theatre by Never Forget, the musical based on the back catalogue of boy band Take That. Never Forget officially opens May 22 following previews that begin May 7.

For more on Never Forget, call (0)0870 164 8787.