A beloved, award-winning classic has played its way to the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts stage.
“Fiddler on the Roof” opened Friday, April 11 and runs until Sunday, April 27, with performances at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays.
Directed by Lani Brockman with musical direction by Sheila Weidendorf and choreography by Marta Mulholland, the play explores life in the Jewish village of Anatevka, following the story of milkman Tevye, his wife Golde and their five unwed daughters. Tevye must navigate the fine line between tradition and change as his daughters seek to marry some unexpected candidates. The family must also contend with rising antisemitism.
With a cast of 22 actors and a five-person orchestra, the production is WICA’s largest musical since COVID-19. Expect to hear iconic songs such as “Tradition,” “If I Were a Rich Man” and “Sunrise, Sunset.” Musician James Hinkley leads the cast in the role of Tevye, with Whidbey Island’s acclaimed violinist Gloria Ferry-Brennan as the Fiddler.
In 1965, the Broadway production won multiple Tony Awards, including for Best Musical and Best Score. A film adaptation came out in 1971. The musical is based on Sholem Aleichem’s short story “Teyve and his Daughters.”
Deana Duncan, WICA’s artistic executive director, said this is an incredibly timely production of “Fiddler on the Roof.”
“The enduring themes of love, family and humanity are still present in the theatre series, but we’re seeing this through the lens of today’s geopolitical landscape and what that means for us as global citizens,” Duncan said in a press release. “The story may take place in the early 20th century in a small town in Czarist Russia, but there are many connections that can be drawn to today.”
The play’s setting is in the Pale of Settlement, a western region of the Russian Empire where the Jewish population was permitted to live. Today this area includes most of Ukraine as well as Poland, Belarus, Lithuania and Moldova.
The WICA production is co-sponsored by the Washington State Jewish Historical Society, which plans to host a pop-up Story Booth during the pre-show, intermission and post-show of the closing performance on April 27.
“While the story of ‘Fiddler’ is based in the past, there are many aspects that still ring true today, especially as Jewish Washingtonians navigate the current increase of antisemitism spreading throughout the state and country,” Hannah Peters, deputy director of the society, said in a press release.
Audience members are encouraged to participate in the Story Booth, a recording studio, by telling their stories. Its goal is to amplify the voices of the Jewish community throughout the state.
“At its core, Fiddler is a beautiful and joyous celebration of life and love,” Duncan. “The music is stunning and this cast is bringing their hearts and souls to the work.”
Visit wicaonline.org to learn more and to purchase tickets.
(Photo by Allyson Meyer/Whidbey Island Center for the Arts) Alyssa Keene plays the role of Golde, Tevye’s wife.
(Photo by Allyson Meyer/Whidbey Island Center for the Arts) From left, Jim Carroll as Lazar Wolf, Shane Yerramilli as Innkeeper and James Hinkley as Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof.”
(Photo by Allyson Meyer/Whidbey Island Center for the Arts) Husband Tevye (played by James Hinkley) and wife Golde (Alyssa Keene) discuss a nightmare in “Fiddler on the Roof.”
