Fiddler on the Roof ranks among the most popular musicals in American theater history. The show opened in New York City in 1964 and ran for 3,242 performances, a Broadway record that stood until Grease surpassed it in 1979. Jerry Bock composed the music, and Sheldon Harnick wrote the lyrics and dialogue. Jerome Robbins was the choreographer (creator of dances).
The musical is set in a Jewish village in Russia during the early 1900’s. The plot and characters are based on short stories by the Yiddish author Sholem Aleichem. The central character is a poor dairyman named Tevye, struggling to support his wife and five daughters. Fiddler on the Roof deals with the conflict between the traditional way of life represented by Tevye and the modern views of the younger generation. Tevye and the other Jews in his community also must face the anti-Jewish attitudes of Russia under the rule of the czars. At the end of the story, all the Jews in Tevye’s village are forced to leave, and Tevye departs with his family for a new life in the United States.
The story is filled with both comic and serious moments, all united by the proud and humorous figure of Tevye. The score includes the familiar songs “Tradition,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” and “If I Were a Rich Man.”
The American actor Zero Mostel gained acclaim for his robust performance as Tevye in the Broadway production. In the 1971 motion-picture version, the role was played by the Israeli actor Topol.
