Fiddler on the Roof

At heart of this story is the village Anatevka. Its inhabitants live in the rut of their old traditions. Amongst them, milkman Tevje with his wife Golde and their five daughters. As everyone else in Anatevka, Tevje and his family are constantly fighting against dire poverty and frequent Anti-Jewish protests. As if the earthly burden was not already great enough under the circumstances, Tevye's unshakeable belief in tradition is put to several severe tests by the marriage plans of his three eldest daughters: He had hoped for sons-in-law other than a poor tailor or a revolting student. When Chava, his third daughter, marries a Russian against her father’s will, Tevje rejects her. Meanwhile, Jewish pogroms escalate more and more. Anatevka is being evacuated and Tevje’s family completely torn apart. What remains, is only hope for meeting again later.

Fiddler on the Roof belongs to the greatest musical classics of the 20th century. What sets Fiddler on the Roof apart from the typical Broadway musical is the seriousness of its topic. For his book, Joseph Stein referred back to the story sequence Tewje, the milkman (1916) by Sholem Aleichem who counts as one of the most significant founders of Yiddish literature. The score by Jerry Bock connects upbeat dance music, ritual songs and melodramas to a unique, melancholic sound. Inspired by a painting by Marc Chagall, Fiddler on the Roof enjoyed a celebrated premiere on Broadway on September 22, 1964, and went on to win nine Tony Awards the following year.