Arena Stage's FIDDLER ON THE ROOF Breaks Box Office Records

The iconic musical Fiddler on the Roof, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in a new in-the-round staging directed by Artistic Director Molly Smith, becomes the highest-grossing production in Arena Stage's 65-year history, shattering the record previously held by the summer 2011 return engagement of Oklahoma!.

Leading the cast of this critically-acclaimed revival are Broadway veterans Jonathan Hadary (Golden Boy, Spamalot, Gypsy) as Tevye and Ann Arvia (Mary Poppins, Les Miserables) as Golde, who are joined by 20 D.C.-area actors out of the 28-person company. The production features choreography by Parker Esse, who adapts the original Jerome Robbins choreography for an in-the-round configuration, and musical direction by Paul Sportelli.

Popular demand for Fiddler on the Roof led to a weeklong extension of performances, and the production continues through January 11, 2015 in the Fichandler Stage. Tickets are still available at arenastage.org or by calling 202-488-3300.

"We are a theater that focuses on American voices, and the American musical is our seminal art form," shares Smith. "We produce the gold-standard musicals because they each tell important stories of our times. Fiddler on the Roof is such a story. Fiddler covers the idiosyncratic beauty and range of human experience: the tyranny and joy of families, the creation and destruction of traditions, young love and mature love, community, immigration and racial and cultural hatred. There is a pulsing heart in the middle of this production that breaks on a nightly basis and re-knits itself each day, becoming more powerful every time. As we feel our world cracking apart, don't we need this beautiful story of family and community?"

Lyricist Sheldon Harnick, who attended the opening night performance, adds, "I only wish that composer Jerry Bock and bookwriter Joseph Stein could have seen this superb production, directed so brilliantly by Molly."

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of an American classic! More than just a poor milkman, Tevye is a humble Jewish father who finds his devotion to God severely tested by his headstrong daughters, who want to be their own matchmakers, and the increasingly ruthless government forcing him from his land. With a jubilant and masterful score including "If I Were a Rich Man," "Sunrise, Sunset," "Matchmaker, Matchmaker" and "Tradition," Tony Award nominee Jonathan Hadary makes his Arena debut as Tevye in this celebration of family, community and life's unexpected miracles, large and small.