Breaking Tradition and Honoring the Past in ‘Fiddler on the Roof’

November 21, 2024
• The Needham Community Theater will stage its production of the iconic musical on its 60th anniversary.

In the village of Anatevka, tradition maintains order and balance for its Jewish residents. Traditions dictate each person’s place in the ecosystem, and without them, “[their] lives would be as shaky as a fiddler on the roof.”

That’s Tevye’s contention, at least, but as three of his daughters prepare for marriage, traditions are also broken — for better or worse.

The Needham Community Theatre’s production of “Fiddler on the Roof” opens Friday, Nov. 22 at 8 p.m. at Newman Elementary. The NCT will stage subsequent shows at 2 p.m. on both Saturday, Nov. 23 and Sunday, Nov. 24, as well as at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30 and a final show Sunday, Dec. 1 at 2 p.m.

Despite its setting in early 1900s Russia, the show contains messages about family, values and, yes, tradition, that still feel relatable, actor Clark Williams said. Williams plays Motel, the poor tailor intent on marrying Tevye’s eldest daughter, Tzeitel — though it takes some convincing and rule-defying action to do so.

The musical can’t be reduced to simple morals, and audience members sometimes come away with opposing messages, Williams said, but that’s a testament to the story itself.

“It is a tribute to real communities and real people and a real set culture’s values… and therefore defies simple classification,” Williams said.

As the cast staged its first dress rehearsal Tuesday night, male characters donned vests and traditional prayer shawls, and the women and girls wore long dresses with their hair covered.

Judaism sits at the heart of the story, and this year marks the musical’s 60th anniversary. Diane Rothauser, who does makeup and publicity for NCT, said timeliness was a key factor in selecting the musical: both to celebrate its Broadway debut in 1964, but also in response to “things that are going on in the world.”

“There’s so much antisemitism growing in the world today…It’s a universal story, but it’s not [just] a story for Jewish people, it’s a story for everybody,” Rothauser said.

Just as in the fictional town of Anatevka, real-life family members will appear on stage together. Kristin McAuliffe, who plays Yente the matchmaker, will perform with her two daughters, aged 13 and 9. Community theater offers the unique opportunity for different generations to be on stage together, McAuliffe said. The three of them performed in NCT’s “The Music Man” last year.

Rehearsals double as musical run-throughs and family bonding for the McAuliffes, but the experience is almost like method acting — modeling the on-stage family dynamics next to your loved ones.

The music, story and history of the musical are “iconic,” she said.

“There’s nothing more iconic than ‘Tradition,’” McAuliffe said. “I feel like that opening number is really defining and really sets the stage, and it really just gets the audience so invested in all of the characters right off the bat.”

The Sabbath Prayer also made an impression on a young McAuliffe when she first saw the show in her youth — the auditorium surrounded in candles and the solemnity of the scene stuck with her. Now, as a parent, “Sunrise, Sunset” hits closer to home — the song is sung during Tevye’s oldest daughter’s wedding, where he and his wife sing about their daughter growing up.

That first of three marriages is a “miraculous” one — Motel’s job as a tailor “is not a particularly glamorous job in this community,” but he’s able to wed Tzeitel, despite her father having promised another man that he could marry her. The moment leads Motel to sing “Miracle of Miracles.”

Other notable numbers from the show include “If I Were a Rich Man” and “Matchmaker.”

The push and pull between generations persists across time — 100 years ago, 60 years ago and today, Rothauser said.

“I think that the overarching theme is that it’s important to have traditions and to respect your past, but it’s also important to look towards the future, because we do need to change and grow with the times,” McAuliffe said. “And I think that some of the things that happen to the characters in the show, breaking from tradition leads to good things, and sometimes breaking from tradition leads to bad things. But we all, as a community and as a nation and a town, all need to recognize that as things change, we need to mold our traditions to those changing times too.”

“Fiddler” will be Williams’ first show with NCT. Before rehearsals began Tuesday, Williams expressed excitement and apprehension for the show — apart from the usual butterflies, he’ll be lifted in the air during a scene.

Watching the show is a transformative experience, Williams said.

“This is theater at its best,” he said. “As an audience member, you are taken on a journey. Is it necessarily historically accurate? No, that’s not the point. This isn’t a lecture. It’s a narrative that draws you in, and at the end, you’re not the same person you were when you started.”