“Fiddler on the Roof" at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse -- April 29 through June 27.
Wednesday, April 29, through Saturday, June 27
Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse, 1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL
From April 29 through June 27, audiences are invited to cheer a rousing “L'chaim!” when Rock Island's Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse presents the eagerly awaited return of Fiddler on the Roof, a new staging of the beloved theatrical masterpiece from Tony winner Joseph Stein and Pulitzer Prize winners Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick.
Based on Sholom Aleichem’s Tevye & his Daughters, Fiddler on the Roof is the story of the small, tradition-steeped town of Anatevka, Russia, where Jews and Russians live in delicate balance. During the course of the show, the time honored traditions of Anatevka are both embraced and challenged by the town milkman Tevye, his wife Golde, and their colorful community as they witness the family's daughters – Tzeitel, Hodel and Chava – growing up and falling in love in a time of extraordinary change. As Tevye discovers that his daughters' choices of husbands are becoming successively less palatable, Fiddler on the Roof grows into a sprawling and beautiful musical saga that captures the essential human longings for love, community, success, freedom, family, and meaning. And through its unforgettable score by composer Jerry Bock and lyricist Sheldon Harnick, audiences are treated to such iconic songs as the beautiful “Sunrise, Sunset,” the boisterous “If I Were a Rich Man,” the heartbreaking yet funny marital duet “Do You Love Me?”, and the classic “Matchmaker, Matchmaker.”
The original Broadway presentation of the show, which opened in 1964, had the first musical-theatre run in history to surpass 3,000 performances, ultimately playing for 3,242 performances. Fiddler on the Roof held the record for the longest-running Broadway musical for almost 10 years until Grease surpassed its run. Extraordinarily profitable and highly acclaimed, Fiddler's first Broadway engagement received nine Tonys including Best Musical, Score, Book, Direction, and Choreography, and in 1972, the production also won a special Tony for becoming the longest-running musical in Broadway history. To date, the show has spawned five Broadway revivals, as well as a highly successful 1971 film adaptation that was nominated for eight Academy Awards (including Best Picture) and won three.
Making her Circa '21 directing debut with Fiddler on the Roof is Georgette Kleier, with area favorites Ron May serving as music director and Ashley Becher as choreographer. Additional members of Kleier's creative team include: production manager Jeremy Littlejohn; stage manager and props designer Kendall McKasson; techincal director Richard Baker; set designer and scenic artist Becky Meissen; costume designer Bradley Robert Jensen; lighting designer Nicole Blodig; sound designer Dylan Dutro; assistant stage manager and deck captain Emmett Beodeker; and executive producer (and Circa '21 owner) Dennis Hitchcock.
Playing the demanding role of Tevye, and appearing in his first Circa '21 production, is Jacob Medich, with venue favorite Sarah Hayes (Chicago, Come from Away, Irving Berlin's White Christmas) portraying Tevye's beloved wife Golde. Twenty additional talents, meanwhile, complete the Fiddler on the Roof ensemble: Sofia Alleruzzo; Nathan Ancheta; Bobby Becher; Emmett Boedeker; Gracie Cross; Kyle DeFauw; Dan Embree; Abigail Goldman; Brad Hauskins; Sophia Kilburg; Wrigley Mancha; Charles Murphy; Gregory Naman; William Pearce; Sydney Richardson; Elena Skadal; Harold Truitt; Shelley Walljasper; Laura Whittenberger; and Edith Young.
Fiddler on the Roof will be performed in Rock Island from April 29 through June 27, and in addition to the show's 7:30 p.m. public previews on April 29 and 30, performances will be held on Fridays, Saturdays, and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 5:30 p.m.; and Wednesday afternoons at 1:15 p.m. All shows will be preceded by plated meals and pre-show entertainment by the theatre's performing wait staff of Circa '21 Bootleggers, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)786-7733 extension 2 and visiting Circa21.com.
