STORY:

Set in 1905 in a small Jewish village in Russia, it is the story of Tevye, a poor dairyman, who lives in the little village of Anatevka and tries to instill in his five daughters the traditions of his tight-knit Jewish community in the face of changing social mores and the growing anti-Semitism in Czarist Russia. Tevyes daughter Tzeitel wants to marry a poor tailor instead of the middle-aged butcher her father has chosen for her in the tradition of arranged marriages. Tevye is forced to choose between the happiness of his daughter and his cultures beloved traditions. Rich in historical and ethnic detail, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF has enchanted audiences around the world with its humor, warmth and honesty. Its universal theme of tradition cuts across barriers of race, class, repression, nationality and religion. The celebrated score by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick features beloved songs such as Sunrise, Sunset, If I Were A Rich Man, and Matchmaker, to name a few. Written by Joseph Stein and based on Sholem Aleichems short story Tevye and His Daughters, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF won nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Actor (Zero Mostel), Best Supporting Actress (Maria Karnilova) and Best Director (Jerome Robbins) as well as awards for author, producer, choreographer, costume design and composer and lyricist. In 1991 it won another Tony Award as Best Revival of a Musical. A 1971 movie version directed by Norman Jewison was nominated for Best Picture and picked up three Academy Awards. FIDDLER ON THE ROOF was one of the first Broadway musicals to deal with serious issues such as persecution, poverty and holding on to one's beliefs.