Irvin, Crabtree Reunite For CCP Revival of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF

Carol Irvin and Jim Crabtree are reunited as Golde and Tevye, as Cumberland County Playhouse revives Fiddler on the Roof, opening October 20 in Crossville.

Irvin and Crabtree, producing artistic director at CCP, lead a Production Company of 50 in the revivial, including Jason Ross, Weslie Webster, Daniel Black, Brenda Frye, Lauren Marshall, and Greg and Lindy Pendzick.  Scenery is by Robert Cothran, head of design for a generation at Knoxville's Clarence Brown Company and UT Theaters.  Crabtree and John Fionte co-direct, with music direction by Ron Murphy, Leila Nelson as choreographer, and Austin Price and Chaz Sanders as lead dancers. 

In this musical of faith, family and tradition, Tevye is father to five daughters amid changing times in 1905 Tsarist Russia. He defends family and religion, but his three oldest daughters find love outside the Jewish traditions that he and Golde honor. Daughter Tzeitel (alternates Leila Nelson and Emily Woods) loves Motel the tailor (Greg Pendzick), but Yente, the village matchmaker (Weslie Webster), suggests wealthy butcher, Lazar Wolf (Jason Ross).  Hodel and Perchik (Lindy Pendzick, Daniel Black), and Chava and Fyedka (Ali Gritz, Austin Price) also find love without the matchmaker, but Tevye tries to demand marriage in the faith. In the face of pogroms, religious persecution and a changing world, the family must find a new life, and a new home, in America. 

Fiddler's music is by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein. It opened on Broadway in 1964, as The Playhouse was under construction, and was the first musical to surpass 3,000 performances, winning nine Tony Awards. 

CCP expands its 30-member professional repertory company with two dozen interns, students and volunteers, trained and experienced through CCP programs. 

Supporting roles feature Porter Anderson (Yussel), Bob Ochsenrider (Rabbi) and Judy Murphy (Shandel) of Fairfield Glade; Palace Theater and D-Squared Productions star Dennis Donald (Avram); Cookeville's Kyle Guth and Caitlin Schaub; Cumberland Cove's Skip and Terri Ritter; and Crossville's Anais Villaruz and Darbi Banegas as Tevye's youngest daughters.  Mother/daughter combo Lisa and Grace Harrison are villagers in Lisa's first Playhouse show, and veteran daughter Grace's ninth.  Student actors include Carrie Netherton, Kali Larson, Derek Wagner, Ted Meeker, Isaiah and Malachi Banegas, Coco Bennett, Blakely Garrett and Michaela and Melody Cornwall.  Volunteers Carol Skiles, Carol Ann Chadwell, Holly Bynum and Fann Burris are women of Anatevka

Tickets for 400+ annual CCP events, selected concerts at Crossville's Palace Theater, plus performances by Cookeville Children's Theater and Southern Stars Symphonic Brass, are online at www.ccplayhouse.com or by telephone at (931) 484-5000.  Currently playing at CCP are Dreamgirls (through October 14); the Southern gospel comedy/musical Smoke on the Mountain through October 29; and Dearly Departed, through November 12.