Yesterday we went to see the play Fiddler on the Roof at the Shenandoah Theater which is located at the Shenandoah University. When the play is introduced, the announcer mentioned that the Shenandoah Theater is in their 40th theater season. We had previously been there to see another play and enjoyed the theater’s amenities.
About Fiddler on the Roof
The musical play is set in Anatevka, Imperial Russia at about 1905. Tevye, the main character, is a poor milkman with a total of five daughters. Three of his daughters are of marriage age. He wants to follow Jewish traditions and have their marriages arranged by the village marriage broker, but his daughters want to marry for love. They are not really asking his permission to marry, but telling him who they want to marry. This was a new school of thought for that era.
There is lots of singing and dancing with the play. Most people recognize the songs from the play of “If I were a Rich Man” and “Sunrise, Sunset”.
Two notable scenes from the play are of the wedding scene where the men balance wine bottles on their heads while dancing. The second is of the nightmare scene in the bedroom.
The original Broadway play, back in 1964, ran for 900 sold out performances or 26 months. It was only outsold by the play Grease. Interestingly, enough at this production, we purchased the last two seats on the very top row, right next to the wall. Then it was, also, sold out.
The play ends when the Russian Czar closes the village and asks the Jewish population to move on. Of course, they only have three days to get out of the town so they only bring what they can carry. Some people plan to go to Jerusalem and others to relatives in America.
Ending Notes on the Play
I think there should have been another play written about what happens to the three daughters they leave behind in Russia. Or if Tevye and his remaining family are happy in America.
However, people go on with their lives and that alone is complicated. That’s true for everyone. How many people lived, loved, and stayed in the same location for their entire lives?
It is sad, however, when Tevye, disowns his one daughter because she married a non Jewish man. In the play, it is the custom of the Jewish people not to marry outside of their religious beliefs. Then, Tevye never tells that daughter goodbye when they are leaving the village for America. Perhaps they never see each again.
There have been many productions of this play and revivals. Embracing life, love, and tradition are core principals of this production. Another fact of life, is that one cannot stop the clock or block changes already in motion. The world constantly moves whether a person is ready for it or not.
I enjoyed the play Fiddler on the Roof and would most definitely attend another play at this theater.
Resource Sites: en.wikipedia.org and www.smithsonianmag.com/arts