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(Part II)
“Fiddler on the Roof,” to be produced by Defiance College’s DC Players on November 13 – 16, was the first Broadway show to surpass 3000 performances. It opened in 1964 and played for a total of 3,242 performances. It held the record until “Grease” surpassed it some ten years later.
The show starred Zero Mostel as Tevye the milkman. Nick Rausch will perform this role in the Players production. The story centers on Tevye, who is unfortunate enough to have five daughters whose choices of men stray ever further away from the established Jewish customs that he tries to maintain. At the same time that Tevye copes with his willful women, the Tsar decides to evict the Jewish population from their village—a pogrom.
Based on a surreal painting by Marc Chalgall and writings by Sholom Aleichem, the musical has a book by Joseph Stein, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and music by Jerry Bock. In the painting, a fiddler appears as a metaphor for survival in a time of uncertainty and unrest. The original production was highly acclaimed and was nominated for a total of ten Tony Awards. It won nine of those, including for best musical, best score, best book, best direction, and best choreography—which was done by Jerome Robbins. It was to become the last Broadway show that he would choreograph. The show was revived in 1976, 1981, 1990, and 2004. In the 2004 revival, Rosie O’Donnell played Golde, Tevye’s long-suffering wife.
The show includes several musical numbers that became popular hits, including: “Matchmaker,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” “To Life,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” and “Do You Love Me?” The show was one of the first Broadway productions to break with established tradition by dealing with the very serious issues of poverty and persecution.
November 13, 14, and 15 performances are at 8 p.m. The November 16 matinee is at 2 p.m. All seats are reserved, $10 for adults and $8 for students. Reservations may be made by calling Carolyn Gilgenbach at 419-783-2462, or by E-mail, cgilgenbach@defiance.edu.
Defiance College is an independent, liberal arts institution in Northwest Ohio offering more than 40 undergraduate majors as well as graduate programs in education and business. Defiance College has received national recognition for its educational experience of engagement. U. S. News & World Report ranks Defiance in the top tier of comprehensive colleges in the Midwest. The college website is www.defiance.edu.
November 5, 2008
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Defiance College’s Defiance Players present “Fiddler on the Roof” (Part I)
Defiance College’s Defiance Players will present one of the most beloved and successful musicals of the Broadway stage, “Fiddler on the Roof,” on November 13 – 16 in the College’s Schomburg Auditorium. This well-known story centers on Tevye, the father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his family and religious traditions while coping with outside influences that encroach on their lives. A large cast has been chosen, including DC students, Northwest Community College students, and area adults and youths, and are in rehearsal under the direction of Ken Neuenschwander.
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