Topol stars in 'Fiddler on the Roof'

COURTESY PHOTO Chaim Topol revives his role as Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof," on stage at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall. "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. And so begins a tale of love and laughter, devotion and defiance, and changing traditions.

"Fiddler on the Roof," the Tony Awardwinning musical that has captured the hearts of people all over the world, is on stage at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall through Sunday, April 26. In what is a huge theatrical feat, audiences will have 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.

Topol and "Fiddler on the Roof" were both nominated for the Academy Award in their respective categories. While in the Isreali Army, Topol won the 1972 Golden Globe for his performance in "Fiddler on the Roof." He is now joining this tour on the heels of a successful production in the South Pacific. In 1983, Topol reprised the role of Tevye in a London revival and in 1990 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.

A perennial hit since it first opened in 1964, "Fiddler on the Roof" has enjoyed critical acclaim for bringing to the stage a poignant story about the enduring bonds of the family. Now, the national touring production of this timeless musical brings the wit and wisdom of Tevye and his family to audiences throughout the U.S. with the reproduction of Jerome Robbins' famous masterpiece.

Tevye's wrestling with the new customs of a younger generation is punctuated by an unforgettable score that weaves the haunting strains of "Sunrise, Sunset" and the rousing "If I Were A Rich Man" with the exuberant "Matchmaker, Matchmaker" and triumphant "Tradition." When his daughters choose suitors who defy his idea of a proper match, Tevye comes to realize, through a series of incidents that are at once comic and bittersweet, that his children will begin traditions of their own. At the story's close, the villagers of Anatevka are forced to leave their homes and even the sturdy mores that have guided everyday life begin to crumble. Paradoxically, it is the enforced loss of the rigid traditions and home life that Tevye has tried so tenaciously to preserve that leads the family to reconcile and draw closer still.

Tickets cost $40-$70 and are available at the box office, by calling 481- 4849 or online at www.bbmannpah. com.