Fiddler on the Roof

Fiddler on the Roof (1964), a musical play by Joseph Stein (book), Jerry Bock (music), Sheldon Harnick (lyrics). [Imperial Theatre, 3,242 perf.; Tony Award, NYDCC Award.] Tevye ( Zero Mostel) is a pious dairyman living in the impoverished Jewish shtetl of Anatevka. He and his wife Golde ( Maria Karnilova) hire the matchmaker Yente ( Beatrice Arthur) to find husbands for their five daughters. But the three eldest daughters break with tradition and marry for love, one even eloping with a Christian. A pogrom and threats of increasing anti‐Semitism finally force Tevye and his neighbors to leave Anatevka and seek homes in other countries. Notable songs: If I Were a Rich Man; Matchmaker, Matchmaker; Sunrise, Sunset; To Life. Based on Sholom Aleichem's Tevye's Daughters, this warm, melodic, sentimental musical was a surprise hit, establishing a long‐run record that held for a decade. Among the highlights of the Hal Prince production were Mostel's engaging performance, Boris Aronson's Chagall‐like settings, and the inspired choreography and direction by Jerome Robbins. The musical has been seen around the world and regularly revived in every venue from Broadway to churches.