Book by Joseph Stein
Music by Jerry Bock
Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick
Based on Sholom Aleichem's stories
A word from the director
The original Broadway production of Fiddler On The Roof opened on September 22, 1964; it ran until July 2, 1972, racking up an impressive 3,242 performances -- making it one of the longest-running musicals of all time.
At the 1965 Tony Awards, it was recognized as Best Musical, and received additional awards for its book (Joseph Stein), direction and choreograpy (Jerome Robbins), music and lyrics (Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick), producer (Harold Prince), costumes, Best Actor (Zero Mostel - Tevye) and Supporting Actress (Maria Karnilova - Golde).
The 1971 film was nominated for eight Academy Awards - including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor (Topol) - and won three of them.
Since then the stage show has continued to tour and Fiddler has become a staple community theatre production. What is there about the show that has made it so popular? The range of areas in which it has been nominated for awards gives us a clue.
First of all, there is the book of the show. Based on Sholom Aleichem's stories of life in Czarist Russia at the turn of the century, we are presented with a village full of real characters, each with a distinct and individual personality - from Tevye, the hard-working dairyman who has a personal relationship with God; to Golde, his long-suffering (but not silently) wife; to Yente, the comical matchmaker; to the pragmatic rabbi - who can even find blessings for the Czar, and for a new sewing machine.
Second, there is the music - familiar hits such as If I Were A Rich Man; Sunrise, Sunset; Matchmaker; Tradition; Far From The Home I Love - lovely songs in themselves, but songs which also further our understanding of the characters who sing them.
Then there is the dancing, from the life-affirming opening number, Tradition, to the rousing Bottle Dance and wedding sequence, to the poignant Chava ballet sequence.
Finally, and most important, there are the themes with which the play deals - tradition; how to cope with the necessity for change; family; intolerance; religion; declining social values. To see Fiddler On The Roof as a "Jewish" play would be a mistake. It deals with issues which concern every one of us.
Please join us in November, 1997 for our production of Fiddler On The Roof.
Herschel Rosen, Artistic Director