"Fiddler On The Roof"

"Tradition. Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as... as a fiddler on the roof!"

                            - Tevya, in the Prologue to "Fiddler On The Roof"

As a part of our Broadway in Pittsburgh subscription, last night we saw "Fiddler On The Roof".  This play opened on Broadway in 1964, and at one point, it was the longest running show in Broadway history (it ranks 16th on that list now, according to Wikipedia), and I had never in my life seen this show performed.  Not as a part of national tour (as last night's production was), not at the CLO, not as a high school musical.  I had never even seen the movie.  Of course, I knew many, many of the classic songs from the show, and while I was familiar with the music, I am almost ashamed to say that I wasn't totally familiar with the story of "Fiddler On The Roof".

I thoroughly enjoyed the show last night.  Great music, wonderful dancing numbers, and a great performance by Yehezkel Lazarov as Tevya, the Russian milkman struggling to raise his five daughters in czarist Russia as his beloved "traditions" begin to crumble around him.  The story was especially poignant here in Pittsburgh as a result of the awful events at the Tree of Life Synagogue last month. Sadly, many of the themes in "Fiddler On The Roof" are still with us today.

Four Stars from The Grandstander.

Oh, and a fun fact about this musical, again, according to Wikipedia.....on average "Fiddler On The Roof" is licensed for  amateur productions 500 times each year.  So, if you can't catch this current edition now at the Benedum in Pittsburgh this week or on its national tour, there is a good chance that it will be performed at a high school or college near you sometime this spring.