FIDDLER ON THE ROOF Comes to Long Beach Playhouse

At the Long Beach Playhouse, one tradition is closing their Mainstage Season with a musical. This year they will present the popular classic, Fiddler on the Roof. Set in 1905 Czarist Russia, it tells the story of Tevye, a humble dairy farmer and his quest to find suitable mates for his five daughters. Despite his efforts, the daughters are feeling the influences of a world beyond the village. The show first opened in 1964. The music is by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein. It was nominated for ten Tony Awards and won nine.

The Producing Artistic Director for the Playhouse, Sean Gray, said, “I selected this show for several reasons. It's a show that audiences love. It speaks to the need for community during trying times. And it resonates with the city's large Jewish community.

“Gregory Cohen, the director, is Jewish and said he recognized Fiddler is not just a story of his people, but is about standing against hate and recognizing the most effective tool for surviving is family, whether it's the one in which we were born or the one we've created for ourselves.”

“It's hard to think of a show with music more familiar than Fiddler on Roof,” said Playhouse Executive Director Madison Mooney. “That's one of the perks of this job. I get to listen to people singing songs I love. 'Sunrise, Sunset', 'Tradition', 'Matchmaker, Matchmaker', who isn't going to sing along?

“Each song moves the story forward. We hear the daughters longing for a man to love, we hear Tevye's pain in watching beloved traditions seemingly swept aside. There's a reason the show has stayed popular so long!”

Director Cohen is thrilled, and honored, that this is the second time in a row that he is directing the season's musical. Following the success of last year's Addam's Family, he is happy to engage the same team with Kysa Cohen as choreographer and Stephen Olear as the musical director. In his Director's Notes, he tells the audience that by spending time in the village of Anatevka, they are now part of the Playhouse family, and advises them bring the lessons from the show into their daily lives.