Photo Flash: Topol Schleps Into San Diego Civic Theatre In FIDDLER ON THE ROOF 7/14-19

“Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as...as a Fiddler on the Roof,” announces Tevye, a humble milkman from the Russian village of Anatevka. So begins a tale of love and laughter, devotion and defiance, and changing traditions.  The Tony Award® winning Fiddler on the Roof continues to capture the hearts of people all over the world with its universal appeal.  This North American Tour offers audiences a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Jerome Robbins’ original Broadway direction and choreography, complete with the star of the originAl West End production and the 1971 film, Chaim Topol.  A Broadway/San Diego ~ A Nederlander Presentation, it will play at San Diego Civic Theatre, July 14 – 19, 2009.

In 1964 Jerome Robbins won matching Tony Awards® for his direction and choreography of Fiddler on the Roof; which features music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and book by Joseph Stein.  A critically acclaimed perennial hit, the timeless Fiddler on the Roof brings the wit and wisdom of Tevye and his poignant story of the enduring bonds of the family to audiences throughout the US with this reproduction of Robbins’ famous masterpiece; with his direction and choreography recreated by director Sammy Dallas Bayes, choreographer of the Broadway revival.  We also have two actors with local cred ~ Stephen Lee Anderson (Constable), attended San Diego State, and Colby Foytik (Perchik) is from Riverside.

Chaim Topol joins this tour on the heels of a successful, short tour in the South Pacific. In 1972 Topol won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Actor category for his performance in the film. In 1983 he reprised the role of Tevye in a London revival and in1990 he again played the part in a Broadway revival and was nominated for a Tony Award® for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical.

The creative team: Ken Billington & Jason Kantrowitz (lighting design), Tony Ray Hicks (costume design), Steve Gilliam (scenic design), Duncan Robert Edwards (sound design), and Larry Blank (orchestrations).

Never has any other musical so magically woven music, dance, poignancy and laughter into such an electrifying and unforgettable experience. Based on the stories of Sholom Aleichem, Fiddler on the Roof is a family musical about the bonds that hold husbands and wives and parents and children together in times of hardship and joy.  Tevye’s struggle with the customs of the next generation is punctuated by an unforgettable score that includes the haunting “Sunrise, Sunset,” “If I Were A Rich Man,” “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” and “Tradition.”

Photos by Joan Marcus

Susan Cella and Chaim Topol

Chiam Topol, Julie Brooks and the company

The company

The company