Originally debuted in 1964, “Fiddler on the Roof” made history with over 3,000 live performances. Now, the acclaimed revival is sharing the iconic musical with a new generation.
The beloved theatrical classic and Tony Award nominated Broadway revival, “Fiddler on the Roof” will visit Rudder Auditorium on March 28 and 29, the fifth hit musical in the Memorial Student Center’s Opera and Performing Arts Society’s, or MSC OPAS, “Let’s Get Together” 2021-22 season.
Brooke Wetterhahn plays Yente and said working on “Fiddler on the Roof” has been a blessing — on her head.
“I’ve been with the production since 2019, and feel like the shtetl has become my second family,” Wetterhahn said. “Getting to return to the theater — to return home — this past fall 2021 was a privilege, and I feel a great sense of pride in helping to bring theater safely back to our country.”
Although Wetterhahn grew up with the music, the movie and the theatrical production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” she said she feels connected to it on a deeper level because it closely mirrors her family history.
“Some of my great and great-great grandparents grew up in small shtetls — small Jewish towns — outside of Kyiv,” Wetterhahn said. “They immigrated to the U.S. in the early 1910s and 1920s to escape the tsar’s pogroms.”
There is a beautifully staged moment, Wetterhahn said, near the end of the production when the audience sees all the citizens of Anatevka leaving their village.
“We walk in a circle — stretching the circumference of the stage, clutching whatever possessions and valuables and memories our characters had time to pack and take with them — as our silhouettes are lit by an ascending backdrop,” Wetterhahn said. “When we do the ‘circle walk’ every show, I feel an overwhelming cyclical connection to my ancestors. It is my own private homage to them, and I feel a unique sense of closeness and honor in helping to continue on their legacy and tell their stories.”
Wetterhahn said she will remember the people, the laughter and the enduring love.
“I am excited for our audiences to see the joy and the strength of our community, of what it means not only to uphold tradition but also to adapt and change, and why both of those actions are so important,” Wetterhahn said. “To put Jewish stories onstage and to share them with people who may be unfamiliar. Beyond those things, the story of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’is unfortunately growing increasingly relevant as Russian troops continue to brutally invade and attack Ukraine. I’m hoping our story helps to humanize what is happening in the world’s political landscape right now and bring awareness to the hatred and intolerance that sadly continue to stain our society.”
Ticket prices range from $26 to $100 and can be purchased at the MSC Box Office and online at www.MSCOPAS.org, with special ticket prices available for students.
